Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend K.Zarbaliyeva / The Baku Appeal Court upheld the sentence with regards to the Chief Editor and an Editor of the Mukhalifat newspaper, Rovshan Kabirli and newspaper's employee Yashar Aghazadeh.
Rovshan Kabirli's lawyer Rashad Hajili said on 16 August that despite the change in their composition, the judges made the decision without hearing both sides. The lawyer said that due to the violation of the criminal procedural legislation by the presiding Judge Mirpasha Huseynov, he will make a cassation complaint to the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan regarding the Baku Appeal Court.
According to him, the accused journalists refused to attend the hearing because they did not wish to attend court in handcuffs. Earlier the case was considered by the Appeal Court of Azerbaijan. Due to the establishment of the Baku Appeal Court, the composition of judges was changed.
An MP of Azerbaijani Parliament, Jalal Aliyev, initiated a lawsuit against Kabirli and Aghazadeh for an article published in the Mukhalifat. According to the MP, the article 'A.M.A.Y. - Trademark of Aliyevs family' published on 24 February and 3 March insulted his honour and dignity. By the decision of the Yasamal District Court Kabirli and Aghazadeh were found guilty in compliance with Articles 147.1 and 147.2 of the Criminal Code. They were sentenced to 2 ? years imprisonment. Currently the journalists are kept in Bayl detention isolator No 1. Presently seven journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan in relation with their professional activity. An appeal has been made to the State Head of Azerbaijan with a request to have then pardoned.