Igbal Abilov's sentence has been upheld in Azerbaijan.

The Shirvan Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of the sentence of ethnic researcher and editor-in-chief of the "Talysh National Academy News" website, Igbal Abilov.

As reported by Kavkazsky Uzel, in May, an Azerbaijani court sentenced Talysh researcher Igbal Abilov to 18 years in prison on treason charges. The defense claimed the charges were based on subjective assumptions, announcing its intention to appeal the verdict.

The appellate court upheld Igbal Abilov's 18-year sentence in the Lankaran court, the Committee for the Protection of Igbal Abilov's Rights reported on its Facebook page*.

"The defense considers the charges against Igbal Abilov to be baseless and politically motivated," the committee said in a statement. Igbal himself and his defense attorneys continue to insist that all charges are related to his work popularizing the history and culture of the Talysh people.

"We regret that today our young people like Igbal are in prison. Sentencing him to 18 years in prison, when neither the prosecution nor the judges have any arguments in this case, is a grave crime on the part of the authorities," the committee stated.

Abilov himself sent a letter to his defense attorneys from prison. An excerpt from the message is also quoted in the publication.

"If the Talysh language, spoken from a cage in a closed courtroom, irritates someone, then that in itself is unfortunate for society. I speak Talysh not because I don't like any other language, but simply because I defend my native language. I don't know why those who react so strongly to this don't understand this," wrote Igbal Abilov.