18:03, 25 October 2016

Azerbaijani activist Ibragimov sentenced to ten years in prison

Activist Giyas Ibragimov. Photo: http://report.az/ru/proisshestviya/izbrana-mera-presecheniya-v-vide-aresta-v-o/

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced the activist Giyas Ibragimov to 10 years in prison on charges of illegal drug dealing.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ibragimov and Bairam Mamedov, an activist of the "Nida" Movement, were detained in Baku on May 10, 2016, on charges of drug trafficking. According to the movement "Nida", the activists were detained after the appearance of graffiti on the pedestal of the monument to Geidar Aliev in Baku.

Photos of the monument of Geidar Aliev in the park in central Baku with inscriptions on its pedestal were disseminated on May 10 in social networks on the Internet and some online editions. The inscription in the Azerbaijani language read: "Qul bayramınız mübarək!" (Congratulations on the slaves' holiday!). This was wordplay with the phrase "Congratulations on the Day of Flowers!" This day is marked annually on May 10, the birthday of former president Geidar Aliev. On the other side of the pedestal, it was written in English: "Fuck the system!" Later, the inscriptions were erased.

Today, the guilty verdict to Ibragimov was handed down by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, which has sentenced the activist to ten years in prison, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the courtroom.

Let us remind you that Ibragimov and Mamedov refused to plead guilty and stated that they had given confessions under torture. The international human rights organization Amnesty International recognized them as "prisoners of conscience".

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

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent