Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend К.Zarbaliyeva / The preparatory hearing regarding the sentencing of the Editor-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Mukhalifat newspaper and its collaborators will be held on 29 June. The appeal was submitted to Judge Mirpasha Huseynov of the Azerbaijani Appeal Court.
The journalists were charged in accordance with MP Jalal Aliyev's complaint that resulted in prosecution in regards to Article 147.2 (calumny in grave crime) of the Criminal Code, resulting in the imprisonment of each defendant for two years and six months by the Yasamal District Court on 16 April.
Jalal Aliyev is the patron of the Commerce AMAY Centre.
Due to the appeals' late submission by Malahat Abdulmanafova to the Court, Judge Rashid Hajili requested that the judge who presided over the case must be made accountable.
The Azerbaijani Press Council appealed to Aliyev to withdraw the lawsuit.