"Khural" editor Zeinalov complains to Azerbaijani SC about his verdict

In Azerbaijan, Avaz Zeinalov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Khural", who was sentenced to nine years in prison, has filed an appeal to the country's Supreme Court (SC), asking to stop his prosecution on the grounds of acquittal. Zeinalov's colleagues have stated the political nature of his case and intend to hold a picket in defence of his rights on July 22.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Avaz Zeinalov was arrested on October 28, 2011; and on March 12, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes convicted him for tax evasion, failure to fulfil a court ruling, large-scale bribery and extortion.

On July 11 in Baku, the Journalists' Group of Preventive Response (JGPR), which includes media people and experts in the field of media law and which conducted its own investigation into the case against Zeinalov, issued its opinion on the results of the work.

The criminal case against the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Khural" Avaz Zeinalov was fabricated for political reasons, said Afghan Mukhtarly, a member of the JGPR.

"Avaz Zeinalov was arrested on the complaint of the then MP Gyulyar Akhmedova, who is now under arrest on charges of a fraud," said Elchin Sadygov, the journalist's advocate. According to his story, the allegations of tax evasion and non-fulfilment of the court ruling had been also incorrectly qualified by the investigation.

Zeinalov's conviction was condemned by the International Partnership Group on Azerbaijan (IPGA), which includes nine journalistic and human rights organizations.