Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr I. Alizadeh / The appeal to amend the imprisonment charges for the editor of Azerbaijani Bizim Yol newspaper, Mushvig Huseynov, who is accused of extortion and bribery, was considered at the Baku Court of Appeal presided by Judge Rahman Mirzayev on 3 August. However, the appeal was refused, the attorney Vugar Khasayev reported on 3 August.
We have full permission to release Huseynov on probation. He is seriously ill with tuberculosis, he has two young children under his care, one of whom is an invalid, his wife is jobless, and he himself does not represent any threat to society and cannot impede the investigation. The judge, however, did not take all this into consideration," Khasayev noted.
The Judge, in turn, noted that Huseynov is accused of a serious crime, and for this reason can disappear or impede the investigation. And as a result, the punishment of imprisonment cannot be changed.
Huseynov was detained on 24 July by Azerbaijani National Security Ministry officials whilst taking $3,500 in bribes from the employee of the Labour and Social Protection Ministry. He is charged for contravening Article 311.1 (bribery) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Baku City Narimanov District Court sentenced Huseynov to three months of imprisonment. Huseynov claims he is innocent.