Azerbaijani Appeal Court upholds verdict to Mamedov and Yagublu

Today, the Sheki Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction handed down by the first instance court to Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the civil movement "Republican Alternative" (ReAl), and Tofiq Yagublu, the deputy chairman of the "Musavat" Party.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 17, 2014, Ilgar Mamedov and Tofiq Yagublu were sentenced to seven and five years in prison, accordingly, on charges of organizing riots in the city of Ismayilli in 2013. They both denied their guilt. On April 22, a retrial began by an Azerbaijan court of the activists' appeal.

The fact that the Court of Appeal has upheld the verdict of the first instance court was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Fuad Agaev, Mamedov's advocate. "The today's verdict has once again questioned the existence of fair justice in Azerbaijan. This decision is also notable for the fact that a provincial court has illegitimated the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)," said Agaev.

In May 2014, the ECtHR found a violation of Mamedov's rights and obliged the Azerbaijani authorities to pay him the compensation in the amount of 22,000 euros. On November 5, 2015, the ECtHR made a similar decision in relation to Yagublu and awarded the compensation of 24,000 euros.

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