04:24, 20 December 2014

Court in Baku rejects complaint of rights defender Rasul Jafarov who claimed to change his custody

Rasul Jafarov. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

The Baku Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal lodged by Rasul Jafarov, the coordinator of the campaign "Arts for Democracy", who asked to replace his custody for home arrest.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Jafarov was arrested on August 2 for three months on charges under the articles of "illegal entrepreneurship", "tax evasion" and "abuse of power". On October 23, his arrest was extended by three months.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Nasimi Court, arguing that Jafarov may escape from investigation, the "Contact.az" quotes the lawyer Gyunay Ismayilova as saying.

Let us remind you that on December 12 Jafarov faced new charges – of official forgery and large-scale embezzlement.

Jafarov was attracted within the general criminal case instituted against several NGOs. However, now his case is considered separately. The charges may entail up to 12 years in prison, the "Haqqin.az" reports.

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