23:31, 1 December 2006

Preparatory court session on Sakit Zakhidov's case held in Azerbaijan

Today, the Court of Appeal of Azerbaijan has held a preparatory session on the case of satirical poet Sakit Zakhidov. The chairing judge Lyatif Nabiev has rejected a defence petition on sending the case to additional investigation. The judge has also moved the journalists out of the courtroom and banned to make photos of the trial, although earlier the judge had given a permit to do it. After an hour-long discussion of Sakit Zakhidov's case, the court appointed the hearing of the case on December 15 this year.

We remind you that Sakit Zakhidov was sentenced to 3 years of deprivation of freedom under false charges of drug use and dealing. However, many colleagues of the satiric belief that the real cause of his arrest were his satirical publication in the pages of the "Azadlyg" oppositional newspaper.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent