ECtHR obliges Azerbaijan to pay 20,000 euros to journalist Rauf Mirkadyrov

The charge of high treason brought by the Azerbaijani authorities against Rauf Mirkadyrov is unfounded, and the journalist should be paid compensation for moral damage, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) pronounces in its decision.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rauf Mirkadyrov, a columnist for the Russian-language newspaper "Zerkalo" (Mirror), is accused of spying for Armenia in Azerbaijan. Rauf Mirkadyrov himself pleads not guilty. On December 28, 2015, in Baku, a court found the journalist guilty of high treason and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment. In March 2016, the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) replaced the real term of the journalist's imprisonment with a conditional sentence.

The ECtHR found that the rights of Rauf Mirkadyrov were violated under several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including Article 5 "The right to liberty and security of person", Article 6 "The right to a fair trial", and Article 8 "The right to respect for private life", announced the ECtHR in its press release posted on the ECtHR's official website on September 17.

The ECtHR considered unconvincing the arguments of the Azerbaijani authorities concerning the accusation of Rauf Mirkadyrov of cooperation with the secret services of Armenia. The Strasbourg Court has ruled that Azerbaijan is to pay the complainant 20,000 euros in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 17, 2020 at 02:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.