Azerbaijani court releases Ilgar Mamedov

Today, the appellate instance has replaced the remaining prison term of Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the Republican Alternative (ReAl) Party, for the conditional punishment. However, the court has not acquitted the oppositionist, his advocate has noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ilgar Mamedov was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of organizing protests among residents of the city of Ismayilli. On November 16, 2017, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found violation of Mamedov's right to a fair trial and decided that he should receive compensation in the amount of 10,000 euros.

Today, the Sheki Court of Appeal has reviewed Ilgar Mamedov's case and mitigated his punishment by replacing the remaining part of his prison term for conditional punishment with a probation period of two years. The court also ruled to release Mamedov, his advocate Fuad Agaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The advocate has positively assessed his client's release, but noted that the defence was not satisfied with the court's ruling, as insisted on his acquittal.

"The court has not only failed to acquit Ilgar Mamedov, but in fact even extended his punishment by awarding him with a probation period of two years, while he had only 1.5 years until the end of his prison term," Fuad Agaev has noted, adding that the defence intends to file a cassation appeal to the country's Supreme Court.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 13, 2018 at 11:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.