Baku, Azerbaijan, April 24
Trend:
The Azerbaijani 'Legal Education Society' head Intigam Aliyev's conviction is not connected with his activity in the field of human rights, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend April 24.
"He was convicted due to tax evasion," Hajiyev said.
He said that Intigam Aliyev was accused of tax evasion and other illegal actions.
"This crime was enshrined as an expression of the rule of law by the court decision," he said.
"It has nothing to do with the human rights activity," he said. "No one is prosecuted for professional activity and political affiliation in Azerbaijan."
The court sentenced Aliyev to seven years and six months of imprisonment by depriving him of the right to hold leading positions for three years.
Earlier, the court demanded to condemn Aliyev for 10 years.
Aliyev was arrested on August 8, 2014. He is charged with article 213.1 (tax evasion), 308.2 (abuse of power) and 192.2 (illegal entrepreneurship) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.