08:18, 25 August 2018

Azerbaijani oppositionist Orkhan Bakhyshly protests by refusing testifying in court

Orkhan Bakhyshly. Photo: screenshot of the video by the "Caucasian Knot" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE4zPMaiGaM

70 people came to courthouse aiming to support Orkhan Bakhyshly, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), but they were not let to the courtroom, because the defendant has refused to testify.

In Baku, hearings of the criminal case against Orkhan Bakhyshly, a youth activist of the PFPA, began.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 9 this year, Bakhyshly was arrested for four months on charges of large-scale illegal drug dealing. He faces up to 12 years in prison.

According to Nureddin Mamedli, the head of the Supreme Majlis of the PFPA, on Friday, August 24, Bakhyshly's party comrades and NGO activists, who came to support the defendant, were not let into the courtroom.

The Orkhan's defence put forward a number of motions, but all of them were rejected, said Elchin Sadygov, an advocate.

According to the prosecution, at detention, six grams of heroin were found on Bakhyshly, who treats the charge as falsified.

The advocate has noted that the policemen, who evidenced to the court, failed to give any clear explanations from where they had got information about the drugs on Bakhyshly.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 24, 2018 at 10:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent