Advocate challenges blogger Aslan Gurbanov's tougher punishment

The defence believes that the court has toughened the prison sentence for the Azerbaijani blogger, Aslan Gurbanov, based on applied disciplinary sanctions used to him under subjective conclusions of the colony administration. Until the judgement of the court of appeal, they have no right to transfer Gurbanov from the colony into prison, his advocate has explained.

In January 2021, Gurbanov was included into the list of political prisoners compiled by the Union "For Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan". In late 2021, a court in Baku ruled to toughen his punishment by transferring him from his colony to a prison for two years. Gurbanov, convicted his publications in support of the Talysh nationals, should be released, human rights defenders believe.

Aslan Gurbanov, 28, was jobless most of the time due to his heart disease, his brother, Abusalam Gurbanov, has explained.

"The case claims that a colony ward made a remark to Gurbanov fir his smoking in a wrong place and for his rude attitude to the ward. But Aslan does not smoke at all," Fariz Namazov, his advocate, has stated, adding that the defence is preparing a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The blogger was charged with "open calls against the constitutional order and Azerbaijan's integrity" on the Facebook and WhatsApp, as well as with "inciting ethnic hatred".

Talysh activists assert, in their video posted on the YouTube channel "Free Talyshistan TV", that Gurbanov was convicted of posting the Talysh national flag, which is not prohibited by the Azerbaijani legislation.