Azerbaijani SC repeatedly rejects Parviz Gashimli's appeal

On November 12, the Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan refused to satisfy the cassation complaint lodged by journalist Parviz Gashimli against the earlier rejection of his demand to hold a repeated partial judicial trial. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by the lawyer Elchin Sadygov, who believes that without the above partial re-trial the consideration of the appeal complaint will be biased.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Parviz Gashimli, an employee of the newspaper "Bizim Yol", the author of the website "Moderator.az" and the head of the Public Association "Centre for Defence of Citizens' Political and Civil Rights", was charged with an attempt of arranging a sale of weapons from Iran. On May 15, Parviz Gashimli was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment.

Parviz Gashimli himself has sent a letter to the joint working group on human rights, which comprises civil society activists and state officials asking to restore his rights and release from prison.

"I'm in prison for the second year. Those who ordered my arrest are so vindictive that during this period I wasn't given a chance to meet and embrace my parents and my little daughter, despite the fact that we had repeatedly asked to let me an open meeting," the journalist writes.

The rights defender Novella Djafaroglu, a member of the above joint working group, has assured the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, in her comment on the journalist's letter, that the group is considering each incoming application.

Let us remind you that Gashimli's conviction was condemned by Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on the Freedom of Mass Media. The verdict was also condemned by the international "Reporters without Borders".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.