5,5 years of prison for EPDE board member Anar Mammadli
18:49, May 28, 2014 | Announcements, Other
Baku, 26th May 2014
Today, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Anar Mammadli, chairman of EMDS (Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre) and EPDE board member to 5.5 years of imprisonment. His deputy Bashir Suleymanli was sentenced to 3,5 years and arrested in the courtroom. The head of the Public Association for International Cooperation of Volunteers Elnur Mammadov was given the same term with 2 years on probation.
They were found guilty under Articles 179.3.2 (appropriation in significant size), 192.2.2 (illegal entrepreneurship by an organized group), 213.1 (tax evasion), 308.2 (abuse of official authority with grave consequences) and 313 (service forgery) of the Criminal Code.
EPDE and its member organization EMDS consider the sentence groundless and unjust, and demand the remission of the sentence and immediate release of convicted in unfair trial Anar Mammadli, Bashir Suleymanli and Elnur Mammadov.
This trial is a reaction to EMDS’ critical assessment of the Presidential elections in October 2013, an attempt to destroy independent and critical citizens’ election observation in Azerbaijan and a proof of political discrimination that dominates the judicial system of Azerbaijan.
The Republic of Azerbaijan has just taken the chairmanship of the council of ministers of the Council of Europe. We appeal to all member states of the Council of Europe to protest this unacceptable violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.
A criminal case was opened at the end of October 2013. Anar Mammadli was in pre-trial detention since 16 December 2013, and the other two were under house arrest. Amnesty International Organization considers Anar Mammadli to be a prisoner of conscience. A criminal case was opened at the end of October 2013 and the other two were under house arrest.
More information here