15 October 2019, 11:25
Baku court refuses to release journalist Polad Aslanov
The court has rejected all the arguments of his advocates and left the Azerbaijani journalist, Polad Aslanov, under arrest. However, the defence will seek his liberation due to a sharp deterioration of his health.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Polad Aslanov, the editor-in-chief of the online editions "Xeberman.com" and "Press-az.com", was detained on June 12, 2019, on suspicion of espionage. In August, his wife, Gyulmira Aslanova, announced the deterioration of her husband's health. On October 5, the court extended his arrest for another four months, until February 12, 2020.
According to the State Security Service (SSS), Polad Aslanov "outside Azerbaijan secretly met foreign intelligence agents and secretly collaborated with them." Gyulmira Aslanova has linked his arrest with his professional activities.
According to the wife, after October 5 court session, he went on a hunger strike in protest against the extension of his arrest.
Osman Kyazimov, an advocate, has stated that there are no reliable proofs of his client's guilt: "The whole charge is based on the testimony given by Aslanov immediately after detention under pressure. I am increasingly concluding that the arrest has to do with his journalistic activities."
On July 10, the Union "For the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan" released the updated list of political prisoners, which includes Polad Aslanov.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 15, 2019 at 05:44 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: CK correspondent
