Azeri journalist Mirkadyrov asks for political asylum in Switzerland

The journalist Rauf Mirkadyrov, who is currently in Switzerland, has asked the government of this country for political asylum, said his advocate.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 17 this year, the Baku Court of Appeal (CoA) released Mirkadyrov from custody, replacing his real imprisonment for the conditional one with a five-year probation period of five years. Mirkadyrov then stated that he would seek full acquittal and cancellation of his conviction.

In mid-September, the journalist went to Switzerland to meet his relatives, who live there since 2014. He was allowed to leave Azerbaijan on the basis of a judgement on a temporary permit to leave the country on humanitarian grounds. While in Switzerland, he has applied for political asylum, his advocate Fuad Agaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

In his comment on Mirkadyrov' decision, Oktay Gyulyalyev, the head of the Public Alliance "Azerbaijan Without Political Prisoners", said that Mirkadyrov's conviction is in force in Azerbaijan. "Although his term has been changed for the conditional one, any moment he can be put in jail, depending on the political situation," the rights defender told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

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