Verdict to journalist Alibeili appealed against at Azerbaijani SC

According to the lawyer Elchin Sadygov, a cassation complaint on the case of Sardar Alibeili, the editor-in-chief of the "P. S. Nota" newspaper and the online-edition "Psnota.com", who was sentenced on November 13, 2013, to four years in prison on charges of hooliganism with use of a weapon, has been lodged to the Supreme Court (SC) of the Azerbaijani Republic.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the suffered party in the Alibeili's case was Natig Amirov, who asserted that Alibeili beat him up in the street.

"The first-instance court has failed to hold an objective investigation; and the Baku Court of Appeal dismissed our complaint against the illegal and unjust sentence... But, honestly, there's no hope for acquittal or retrial. Azerbaijani higher instances are very rarely overturning the verdicts of their subordinates. Besides, this case has political nature. However, we must pass through these instances to be able to apply to the European court of Human Rights," said Sadygov.

"Investigators assert that Alibeili used force against Natig Amirov and inflicted bodily injuries to the latter; however, by his physical form the journalist is considerably inferior to Amirov. Investigators failed to explain why Alibeili had attacked Amirov, whom he did not know. Apart from unconfirmed Amirov's allegations, there was no other evidence," said Sadygov.

See earlier reports: "AI declares Azerbaijani convicts Alibeili and Agaaddin "prisoners of conscience"", "In Baku, prosecutor asks to sentence editor-in-chief of "P.S. Nota" to 5.5 years of imprisonment", "Azerbaijani court sentences Rashad Agaaddin to 9 years in prison".