Prosecutor demands long prison term for Azerbaijani opposition leader Akhmedov

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes has rejected all the defence's motions put forward in favour of Niyameddin Akhmedov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA). The state prosecutor has asked the court to sentence him to 15 years in prison.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in the spring of 2020, Niyameddin Akhmedov was arrested for violating the quarantine and disobeying the police. His party colleagues claimed that law enforcers had tortured him so that he slandered Ali Kerimli, the PFPA leader. Then, Akhmedov was accused of financing terrorism, public appeals against the state and illegal circulation of prohibited objects.

According to the prosecution, Akhmedov received money for committing terror acts from Gabil Mamedov, an emigrant living in Germany, who "had created a secret group for committing terror acts in Azerbaijan." Gezyal Bairamly, a deputy chairman of the PFPA, said that Akhmedov and Mamedov were neighbours; and Mamedov borrowed money from Akhmedov, and "a few years later, after leaving for Germany, he began returning the debt in parts."

Zibeida Sadygova, an advocate, insisted on excluding the illegally obtained proofs from the case materials. Also, the defence asked to exclude form there the criticism of the authorities, posted in social media by Gabil Mamedov, who lives in Germany.

The prosecutor's demand is "excessively severe," said Zafar Akhmedov, a member of the NGO "Defence Line".

"Witnesses have confirmed that Mamedov had a debt to Akhmedov ... There were no proofs of planning terror acts," he said.