The appellate court upheld the arrest of Anar Mammadli

Abzas media arrests in Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, the Baku Appellate Court on May 6 considered the appeal against the arrest of Anar Mammadli, the head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS). The court did not grant the appeal, as reported by lawyer Elmar Suleymanov.

"The accusation against Anar Mammadli is abstract," believes the lawyer

International organizations continue to call on official Baku to release the well-known Azerbaijani human rights defender and public activist

The lawyer pointed out that the first-instance court committed several violations.

“In particular, in violation of criminal procedural legislation, the court did not ensure the audio recording of the proceedings,” the lawyer told the Turan news agency.

Furthermore, the court decision did not specify the lawyer’s motions. The court also did not grant the lawyer’s request for access to the case materials.

Regarding these violations, lawyer Suleymanov filed a written complaint to the Judicial-Legal Council, the chairman of the Baku Appellate Court, and the Khatai District Court.

The defense once again highlighted the lack of grounds for Mammadli’s detention and the violation of Articles 5 (right to liberty and security) and 18 (limits on the use of restrictions on rights) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mammadli himself also protested, stating that the true reason for his arrest is his public activism.

Azerbaijan: Eighth arrest in the "Abzas Media case"

This time, the well-known human rights activist engaged in election monitoring, Anar Mammadli, has been detained on charges of smuggling

Mammadli was detained on April 29. The next day, he was charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling by a group of individuals by prior conspiracy) of the Criminal Code.

He is implicated in the Abzas Media case. Currently, 8 people, including Mammadli, are arrested in connection with this case.

Abzas media arrests in Azerbaijan