Advocates and rights defenders predict commutation of Intigam Aliev's verdict

The Public Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan has sent to the Supreme Court (SC) a cassation protest against the verdict to rights defender Intigam Aliev, having found the judgement "too severe." His advocates expect replacement of the real prison term for conditional one.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 22, 2014, a court in Baku found Intigam Aliev, the head of the "Society of Legal Education" (SLE), guilty of economic crimes and sentenced him to 7.5 years of imprisonment.

The Prosecutor Zakir Garalov has addressed the SC of Azerbaijan "in the order of an additional cassation protest," said the advocate Javad Javadov. According to his story, the SC has scheduled to consider the appeal against Aliev's verdict on March 28.

A law expert Yalchin Imanov also said that he "expects release of Aliev".

"In late March, President of Azerbaijan plans to go to Washington to the summit on nuclear safety. Apparently, on the eve of Ilham Aliev's voyage to the United States, the authorities decided to release the rights defender Aliev, hoping for a warm welcome at the White House," said Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Centre for Monitoring Political Prisoners.

The Azerbaijani authorities have taken a "political decision to release Intigam Aliev", Oktai Gyulyalyev, the head of the Public Alliance "Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners", has suggested.

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