Human rights defenders condemn conviction of Tofig Yagublu

The international human rights organizations "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) and "Amnesty International" condemned the conviction of Azerbaijani politician Tofig Yagublu. The human rights defenders called on the authorities of Azerbaijan to immediately release him.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 3, the court sentenced Tofig Yagublu to 4 years and 3 months of imprisonment. Dozens of activists who approached the court building to support Tofig Yagublu held a spontaneous protest action against the court's decision.

The international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) called the conviction of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu an example of another mockery of justice in Azerbaijan.

"The verdict did not come as a surprise, but it shows the extent Azerbaijani authorities are willing to go to subvert the rule of law to retaliate against government critics," said Giorgi Gogiya, the associate director of the HRW's Europe and Central Asia Division, as quoted on the HRW's website on September 3.

The "Amnesty International" (AI), another international human rights organization, also condemned the conviction of Tofig Yagublu.

"The Azerbaijani authorities must immediately review the prison sentence of Tofig Yagublu, with a view to releasing him immediately and unconditionally. Tofig Yagublu is a prisoner of conscience and his conviction is yet another example of the Azerbaijani authorities' crackdown on political opposition and freedom of expression," said Natalia Nozadze, the AI's expert for South Caucasus, in her appeal posted on the AI's website on September 3.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 4, 2020 at 01:35 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.