New charge brought against journalist Afghan Sadygov three months before his release

Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadygov, convicted on charges of assaulting a woman in the reception room of the head of the Jalilabad District, has faced a new charge three months before the end of his prison term.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Afghan Sadygov, the founder and editor of the socio-political website "Azel.tv", was accused of attacking a woman. According to investigators, the attack took place at a reception room of the head for the Jalilabad District. Relatives of the journalist treated his prosecution a punishment for criticizing the district authorities. On January 12, the court sentenced Afghan Sadygov to 2.5 years of imprisonment.

Sevinj Sadygova, Afghan's wife, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on January 13 her husband called home.

"He said that he was transferred from the colony to the Kyurdakhan SIZO (pre-trial prison); and they told him that a new accusation was brought against him. We are shocked, because only three months remained until his release. They probably don't want to set him free at all," Sevinj said.

Elchin Sadygov, Afghan's advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they had "renewed" the case against his client, initiated by the head of the Jalilabad District.

"Early last year, the executive head of the Jalilabad District filed a lawsuit to the local court against Afghan Sadygov under Article 147.2 (libel on committing a grave crime) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Then, the judge postponed the hearing indefinitely. It was silent for a year; and now they decided to revive it. The filing of a lawsuit under this article contradicts the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and the precedent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The journalist should not be imprisoned for his publications," lawyer Sadygov said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.