Azerbaijani SC confirms ban on Ilgar Mamedov's participation in elections

The Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan decided to remove the suspended sentence from Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the Republican Alternative Party (ReAl), but left in force the restriction on his participation in elections. The defence will appeal against the decision, an advocate reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 13, the court of appeal replaced the remaining sentence for Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the Republican Alternative Party (ReAl), with suspended sentence. On October 31, the defence filed a cassation appeal with a request to fully acquit the oppositionist. According to Ilgar Mamedov, the suspended sentence and the remaining criminal record restrict his freedom of movement and participation in elections.

Today, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has partially granted the Ilgar Mamedov's cassation appeal. In particular, the SC reduced the punishment to the real term spent by Ilgar Mamedov in prison and cancelled his suspended sentence. Furthermore, the oppositionist will be able to travel outside of Azerbaijan, advocate Fuad Agaev has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Ilgar Mamedov did not agree with the sentence, but he was pleased with the removal of restrictions. "The obligation for regular registration with the probation service has been removed from me, and the restrictions on leaving the country and going abroad have been lifted. The only remaining restriction is a ban for participation in elections within five years," Ilgar Mamedov has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The ReAl leader has also added that he will continue to fight for his right to participate in elections.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 28, 2019 at 04:57 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.