Baku Court to consider motion of PFPA activist on early release

Today, the Baku Court of Appeal held a preparatory session in connection with the motion on early conditional release, filed by Shakhin Gasanli, the head of the organizational unit of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA).

Shakhin Gasanli was arrested on the eve of the rally of April 2 (March 31), held in the city of Shamkir. On July 21, the Shamkir District Court sentenced him to 2 years of imprisonment under Article 228.1 (illegal possession, carrying, sale of firearms, their parts, ammunition, explosives). Later, the Gandzha Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.

Shakhin Gasanli filed the motion on early conditional release in connection with the fact that he had served a half of his sentence. However, on June 22, the Garadag District Court of Baku dismissed the motion. Shakhin Gasanli filed an appeal against the decision.

Today, Judge Gasan Akhmedov, who chaired the court session, decided to accept the case for consideration and scheduled the court hearing on the merits for August 22.

Novella Djafaroglu, the head of the Society for Women's Rights and the member of the Monitoring Group of Human Rights Organizations of Azerbaijan (MGHROA), has expressed her confidence that the issue of early conditional release of Shakhin Gasanli will be resolved positively.

"Only two persons on those events are still in prisons Shakhin Gasanli and Vidadi Iskenderov. I believe that they will be also released in the nearest future," Novella Djafaroglu has stated.