Azerbaijani activist Abbasov pointed to the political motives behind his prosecution.

In Azerbaijan, imprisoned Rail Abbasov linked the criminal prosecution to his participation in the campaign to defend activist Bakhtiyar Gadiyev. His lawyer reported on the appeal to the European Court of Human Rights after exhausting national remedies.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in September 2023, activist Rail Abbasov was arrested on charges of fraud. At a court hearing in May 2024, Abbasov declared his innocence. In January, the court sentenced him to 6.5 years in prison.

"It has been three years since my arrest. For three years, I have lived the life of a prisoner, serving a sentence for something I did not commit," Abbasov stated in a message received by a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot" from his relatives. He linked his criminal case to his friendship with another convicted activist, Bakhtiyar Gadiyev.

"Our friendship began in 2005, and we have been friends and like-minded people for over 20 years. I actively participated in public actions initiated by Bakhtiyar Gadiyev," Abbasov noted, reminding that together with Gadiyev in 2020, during the 44-day war in Karabakh, he actively participated in a campaign to collect and send warm clothing, drinking water, and food to the soldiers of the Azerbaijani army.

However, according to him, the activation in the socio-political sphere in 2020-2021 led to a new wave of pressure on activists, with Bakhtiyar Gadiyev being one of the first to come under attack.

"I became one of the members of the public committee to defend Bakhtiyar Gadiyev. My role was to inform the public and media about the unjust and unfounded criminal prosecution of Bakhtiyar, the violation of his rights in detention. On September 19, 2023, I was arrested myself. Obviously, the initiators of Gadiyev's arrest were concerned about my activities in his defense and decided to remove me from the public defense of Bakhtiyar Gadiyev. Following a well-established scheme, they fabricated a criminal case against me and deprived me of my freedom for 6 years and 6 months," Abbasov noted.

Abbasov's lawyer Elchin Sadigov, in a conversation with a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot", noted that his client had exhausted all national appeal mechanisms and is now challenging the legality of the sentence in the European Court of Human Rights.

The defense considers Abbasov's prosecution unlawful. "Rail Abbasov was accused of embezzling 200,000 manats (about 120,000 dollars – note from 'Caucasian Knot') allegedly for deceiving the victim Asker Khaziev, who asked for help in selling an apartment. However, there is no material evidence that the money was handed over to Abbasov," said the lawyer.

As explained by a legal expert, a possible pardon could be a legal opportunity for Abbasov's release from detention. "The security forces obtained political sanction for the arrest to remove the activist from the public defense of Bakhtiyar Gadiyev, whose case attracted heightened international interest," said a lawyer who wished to remain anonymous in a conversation with a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".