Federal Lezghi
National and Cultural Autonomy

Supreme Court to Consider Appeal from Editor of "Khural" Newspaper

On September 11, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan will hear an appeal from Avaz Zeynally, the convicted editor of "Khural" newspaper. Zeynally was arrested in October, 2011 as a result of a complaint lodged by ex-MP Guler Ahmadova, who is herself under arrest for fraud. During the trial, allegations were not substantiated and almost all of the defense's arguments were rejected.

 

On March 12, Baku Court of Serious Crimes found Zeynally guilty under the following Articles of the Criminal Code - 311.3.3 (bribery on a large scale), 311.4 (extortion by threats), 306 (non-enforcement of the judgment), and 213.1 (evasion of taxes in a significant amount) and sentenced him to nine years in prison. On May 13, Baku Appeals Court upheld the verdict.

 

Zeynally states that his arrest is a political order, and his freedom of speech has been compromised. Human rights activists consider Zeynally to be a political prisoner.

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