Azerbaijani court sentences Siraj Kerimli to six years in prison

Today, the Baku court has sentenced Siraj Kerimli, who was recognized to be a "prisoner of conscience" by the "Amnesty International", to six years in prison.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Siraj Kerimli, brother of ‘Musavat’ party activist Faradj Kerimli, was detained in July 2014 in Baku. According to investigators, narcotic drugs were found on him. A week later, Faradj Kerimli was also detained. Both brothers state their innocence.

During the today's court session, Siraj Kerimli and his advocate have expressed their disagreement with the position of the prosecution party.

"At today's session, I spoke first, and then Siraj. We have stated the insolvency of the charges and absence of evidence of Siraj's guilt. All the charges are based on testimonies of policemen and the witnesses attracted by them," Nemat Kerimli, Siraj's advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"However, after the break, the court announced the verdict, according to which Siraj was sentenced to six years in prison. The full text of the judgment that covers many pages could not be written in an hour or an hours and a half. It means that it was written in advance – before the presentation of their position by the defendant and his advocate. This is another evidence of political motives under Siraj's persecution," said Nemat Kerimli, adding that he intends to appeal against the verdict.

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