Azerbaijani journalist Isbatov left in custody

The Azerbaijani Court of Appeal has rejected the complaint about the administrative arrest of Natig Isbatov, a reporter of the website "7gun.az". His defence treats the refusal as unjustified and subject to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The above complaint was considered on April 29 at the Sumgait Court of Appeal, Zibeida Sadygova, the journalist's advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the advocate, Isbatov was detained on April 9 during a protest action in front of the Employment Centre in the city of Khyrdalan. The Apsheron District Court sentenced him to 30 days of arrest, finding him guilty of violating the quarantine regime and disobeying the police.

The defence treats Isbatov's arrest as unlawful. "Natig Isbatov was at the action as a reporter; he had an official reporter's ID on him and was dressed in a vest of a media professional. Under the quarantine regime, journalists need no special permit for leaving home," the advocate has explained.

Despite the defence's arguments, the Court of Appeal has dismissed the complaint.

"In administrative cases, the Court of Appeal is the final instance. Now, the defence will prepare a complaint to the ECtHR," the advocate said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 29, 2020 at 06:58 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.