Prosecutor asks 17 years in prison for Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov

The wife and the advocate of Polad Aslanov, the editor-in-chief of the editions "Xeberman.com" and "Press-az.com", have found the prosecutor's demand to sentence him to 17 years in prison unjustified.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2019, Aslanov was detained on suspicion of espionage. He was charged with threats of murder or grievous bodily harm. On February 11, the victim withdrew his complaint against Aslanov. Aslanov's wife has treated the victim's refusal as an investigators' trick aimed at continuing the trial behind closed doors. The journalist himself has linked his persecution with his work.

On October 22, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes announced the end of the judiciary inquiry; and the state prosecutor made his closing speech.

"The prosecutor dismissed Polad's charge under the article of 'threat of murder, but left the one under the article of 'treason' and demanded to sentence him to 17 years in prison," Gyulmira Aslanova, Polad's wife, has stated.

She believes that her husband is being persecuted on a trumped-up charge. "Polad is prosecuted for covering the extortion of money by law enforcers from travel agencies for organizing pilgrimages to Iranian shrines. Instead of investigating these facts, law enforcement bodies preferred to arrest the journalist," Ms Aslanova has added.