Azerbaijan releases prisoner of conscience, journalist Afgan Mukhtarli
Azerbaijani prisoner of conscience, journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, has been released from prison ahead of term.
He served almost 3 years, and on March 17, an Azerbaijani court decided to replace the rest of the term with a conditional one.
Immediately after his release, Mukhtarli flew to Germany, where his family lives in political emigration.
Investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, known for criticizing the authorities, emigrated to Georgia in 2014.
In 2017, he was abducted from Tbilisi and brought to Baku. Here he was sentenced to six years, accused of illegally crossing the border, smuggling and resistance to a government official.
International human rights organizations consider Afgan Mukhtarli a prisoner of conscience. In June 2017, the European Parliament called on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release him and withdraw all charges against him.
