Azerbaijani lawyer Mamedov is sentenced to three years of imprisonment

The Nasimi District Court of Baku has sentenced Gurban Mamedov, an Azerbaijani lawyer, to three years of imprisonment for committing a road traffic accident that resulted in injury and for bribing the victim. The defence of Gurban Mamedov intends to challenge the verdict.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the trial in the case against Gurban Mamedov, a lawyer well-known in Azerbaijan, a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), is being held at the Nasimi District Court of Baku starting from September 11. According to investigators, on September 27, 2012, in Baku, while driving a car, Gurban Mamedov collided with a car park guard. On August 16, he was charged with bribing the victim.

Anar Gasymov, a Gurban Mamedov's advocate, claimed the verdict was unlawful. "Even if we assume that Gurban Mamedov was guilty, then, in such a case, taking into account mitigating circumstances (the Gurban Mamedov's status as a public figure, his assistance to the victim, his non-evasion of investigation and assistance to it), the court should not have made the decision about the real sentence to imprisonment. In such cases, the court usually pronounces the verdict limited to a conditional sentence. However, the case against Gurban Mamedov was politically motivated, and, finally, the verdict also became the fulfilment of the political order," Anar Gasymov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

It should be noted that recently Gurban Mamedov publicly criticized the Azerbaijan's authorities, including in the media, for corruption and human rights violations.