Azerbaijan starts considering appeal of convicts for rioting in Ismayilly

The Azerbaijani Sheki Court of Appeal (CoA) has begun considering on the merits the appeal complaint lodged by the persons convicted on charges of initiating mass riots in the city of Ismayilly. In the course of the session, the court dismissed all the advocates' petitions. The next session is scheduled for August 13.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the convicts' defence had lodged an appeal complaint, the examination of which was initially scheduled for June 5. However, on June 2, the defence was notified that the trial was postponed indefinitely. On June 20, the consideration of the complaint was appointed on August 12.

According to Mamed Sadig Fataliev, a journalist from Sheki, at the session on Tuesday, advocates moved a number of petitions, asking, in particular, to conduct photo and video recording, re-question the key witnesses and make public the secretly recorded phone conversations.

Fuad Agaev, the Mamedov's advocate, reminded about the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to his client and petitioned to release from custody. In his turn, the Prosecutor Jabbarov said that the decision of the Strasbourg Court has no relation to the proceedings at the CoA.

According to Fataliev, the judge also said that some witnesses will still be summoned and listened to in the course of the consideration of the appeal complaint.