In Azerbaijan, editor-in-chief of "Tolyshi Sado" demands to disqualify judge in his case

Hilal Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani newspaper "Tolyshi Sado" (Voice of Talyshes), has made a demand to disqualify and punish the judge in his case. According to Hilal Mamedov's version, the judge openly supports prosecutors, advocate Khalid Bagirov reports.

Khalid Bagirov has also reported that at the court session held on April 24 the defendant Hilal Mamedov made a demand to disqualify Judge Azer Orudjev and accused him of supporting the prosecutors; however, the demand to disqualify the Judge was not accepted.

On April 23, Hilal Mamedov issued through his advocates an appeal to Fikret Mamedov, Head of the Judicial and Legal Council, urging him to punish Judge Azer Orudjev of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, who considered his case.

Copies of the appeal were also directed to Ramiz Rzaev, Head of the Supreme Court, Makhmud Nabiev, Head of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, and to Judge Azer Orudjev himself.

In his appeal, Hilal Mamedov points out that in the course of the trial against him, his rights to the defence are grossly violated. In particular, he claims violations of paragraphs of Article 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Azerbaijan "Defendants" stipulating that a defendant has the right to present evidence of his/her innocence, express the protest against the actions of the investigatory body and demand its record-keeping, read the minute of the court hearing and make comments on it.

According to Hilal Mamedov's version, Judge Azer Orudjev demonstrates bias against him and his advocates and ignores "the real arguments and evidence" of the defence and the most part of the defence's motions. Moreover, the defendant treats the testimony of Elman Guliev, the main witness in the case, and experts' opinion to be false.

"The paradox and absurdity of the charges is in the fact that, based on the Elman Guliev's evidence, the prosecutors speak of my espionage for Iran, and, on the other hand, the appeal attributed to me calls "Talyshes of Azerbaijan and Iran to unite in an integrated state and terminate the yoke of both states," Hilal Mamedov emphasizes.