In Baku, court upholds verdict against oppositionist Umudov

The Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) upheld the verdict against Pasha Umudov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), in the case on possession and trafficking in drugs. The defence intends to file a complaint with the Supreme Court.

Pasha Umudov was detained on October 15, 2019. The defence considered his persecution unfounded, and human rights defenders considered it politically motivated. The activist was accused of illegal manufacture, possession, or trafficking of drugs. On August 7, 2020, the court sentenced him to 4.5 years of imprisonment.

Advocate Zibeida Sadygova points out violations of procedural norms during the detention of Pasha Umudov.

“The main violation is that a personal search of Pasha Umudov was carried out only four hours after his detention. The question is also open why a search was not carried out in the apartment of Pasha Umudov, who was suspected of drug trafficking, because there could also be drugs there,” Zibeida Sadygova said.

According to her, no reliable evidence of Pasha Umudov’s guilt has been presented.

Tezekhan Miralamli, a member of the NGO “Line of Protection”, also questioned the credibility of the accusation. “Pasha Umudov was arrested before in connection with his political activities, and this time he was arrested on the eve of an opposition rally on October 19, 2019,” Tezekhan Miralamli said.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the Union “For the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan” recognized Pasha Umudov as a political prisoner.