At trial, Tofig Yagublu claims falsification of his case

A court in Baku has rejected a motion asking to terminate the criminal case against Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and the "Musavat" Party. The politician himself denied the accusations and called the case fabricated under a political order, his daughter Nigyar Khazi said.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Tofig Yagublu was detained on March 22, 2020. His daughter said that while he was in his parked car, another car drove into his one; and people in it began behaving aggressively. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) claimed that he himself had committed a road accident and attacked a married couple; therefore, he was detained.

A preparatory session on Yagublu's case was held on July 24 at the Nizami District Court of Baku.

His advocates petitioned to close the criminal case "in the absence of reliable evidence of Yagublu's guilt," Nigyar Khazi, his daughter, has stated.

Yagublu himself also pointed out that no objective investigation had been carried out, and stated that the case was fabricated following a political order. He noted that he called the police himself; and there is no evidence to support the beating version. However, the judge rejected the petition to terminate the criminal proceedings on exculpatory grounds.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 25, 2020 at 10:02 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.