07 June 2019, 21:45
Prosecutor demands 6.5 years in jail for Azerbaijani journalist
At the trial in the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, the prosecutor asked to sentence Ikram Ragimov, the editor-in-chief of the "Realliq.info" website, to 6.5 years in prison. The journalist denies the charge and believes that his case is customized and related to his publications.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ragimov is under arrest since October 27, 2018.
The case against Ragimov was initiated under numerous complaints from citizens, the State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan has stated. The editor-in-chief has been charged with repeated extortions through blackmail. Ragimov himself insists on his innocence. On December 6, 2018, the Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan included Ragimov into the list of political prisoners.
Today, at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, at the consideration of Ragimov's case, the state prosecutor offered to find the journalist guilty under Article 182.2.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (extortion by threats, committed repeatedly) and sentence him to 6.5 years in prison, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by the advocate, Elchin Sadygov.
The advocate has asked for time to prepare for the closing speech; and the judge has scheduled the next session for June 12. Prior to his closing speech, the advocate has refrained from comments, emphasizing only that the journalist refuses to plead guilty and treats the case against him as customized and related to his professional activities.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 7, 2019 at 04:33 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
