Talekh Khasmamedov sentenced to three years of freedom deprivation

The Goychay Court of Azerbaijan has found the rights defender Talekh Khasmamedov guilty of hooliganism and sentenced him to three years of freedom deprivation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Talekh Khasmamedov, the head of the organization "Law and Justice", was detained on February 24 in the city of Goychay on suspicion of beating up a local resident, who was also detained by the police.

The judgment on the case of Talekh Khasmamedov was passed by the Goychay Court of Azerbaijan today, Gyulbuta Khasmamedova, Talekh's mother, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

She has treated the judgement as "complete lawlessness" and declared her intention to appeal against the verdict. Ogtay Gyulalyev, the head of the Public Alliance "Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners", also said that the verdict to Khasmamedov is "unfair and unjustified."

"The court refused to watch the video from the surveillance cameras located near the scene of the incident, because in this case it would be obvious that Talekh touched nobody," Ogtay Gyulalyev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"We treat Talekh Khasmamedov as a political prisoner, who is persecuted for exposing local officials in social networks and media. It is not for the first time that they put him in prison," said Gyulalyev.

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