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Azerbaijan terminates criminal cases against two opposition figures

25 April 2020 14:12 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan terminates criminal cases against two opposition figures

By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has released on acquittal grounds chairman of opposition REAL (Republican Alternative Party) Ilgar Mammadov, local media reported on April 23.

The court considered a complaint regarding Mammadov’s criminal case and decided to drop all criminal cases against him. He will be paid 234,000 manat ($137.000) for moral damage, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court.

Mammadov expressed his satisfaction with the decision and called it “a great victory and an important event in the judicial system of Azerbaijan.”

In addition, the criminal case against president of the Human Rights Club Rasul Jafarov has also been terminated and he will receive 57.400 manat ($33.800) for moral damage.

Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan.

"The acquittal today of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov by the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan is to be welcomed. As the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers has repeatedly emphasized, the execution of the European Court of Human Rights' judgments requires the elimination of all the consequences of the criminal charges brought against them. This step will be reviewed by the Committee in the context of the supervision of the execution of the Court's judgments. The Council of Europe remains available to further its cooperation with Azerbaijan", the statement of the Council of Europe Secretary-General said.

The British Embassy in Azerbaijan also welcomed the acquittal of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov.

"The British Embassy welcomes the Supreme Court acquittals of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov, in line with the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights on their unconditional release. We encourage further positive steps such as the implementation of the other European Court of Human Rights judgments as well as taking measures to ensure freedom of speech and expression", the statement delivered.

Ilqar Mammadov was arrested in 2013 and charged with a series of crimes, including organizing mass riots in Ismayilli on January 24, 2013. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2014. Mammadov was released in 2018 by the decision of Sheki Court of Appeal and the rest part of his sentence was replaced with a conditional sentence. Ilgar Mammadov appealed to the Supreme Court and demanded his acquittal and his conditional sentence was overturned.

As for Rasul Jafarov, he was convicted in 2014 of abuse of power, forgery and embezzlement, and tax evasion and was sentenced to 6,5 years in 2015. Two years later, he was pardoned, but the charges were not dropped from him.

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