ECtHR finds violation of Azerbaijani lawyer Khalid Bagirov's rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found unlawful the decision to terminate the lawyer powers of Azerbaijani lawyer Khalid Bagirov and awarded him compensation in the amount of 18,000 euros.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the decision to terminate the lawyer powers of Khalid Bagirov was made by the Azerbaijani Bar Association on December 10, 2014. The lawyer himself called the decision biased and pursuing the goal of punishing him for his professional activities and forcing him to keep silence.

Today, the Strasbourg Court has made public the decision on two complaints filed by Azerbaijani lawyer Khalid Bagirov and combined by the ECtHR into one proceeding. The complaints were related to the suspension of the lawyer powers of Khalid Bagirov for a period of 1 year in 2011 and his exclusion from the Azerbaijani Bar Association in 2014.

In his complaint filed to the ECtHR, Khalid Bagirov claimed that he faced pressure in connection with his lawyer activities and that "the pressure was provoked by his critical statements concerning the shortcomings of the Azerbaijan's judicial system and police violence."

The Strasbourg Court has found a violation of the Khalid Bagirov's rights in both cases and awarded the lawyer the compensation for moral damage in the amount of 18,000 euros, the ECtHR reports on its official website.

Khalid Bagirov claims that he is satisfied with the decision pronounced by the ECtHR. However, according to the lawyer, it will be possible to speak about the full provision of his rights only after his restoration as a member of the Azerbaijani Bar Association.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2020 at 02:34 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.