Rights defenders assess chances for revising Polad Aslanov's verdict

When considering Polad Aslanov's case at the Supreme Court (SC), the Azeri General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) may advocate for a mitigation of his punishment, but one should not expect the Polad's acquittal, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 6, Polad Aslanov, the editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Internet outlets Xeberman.com and Press-az.com, went on a hunger strike demanding a revision of his case.

Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Centre for Monitoring Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan, believes that the GPO can influence the SC's decision on Polad Aslanov's case. "The state prosecutor can come forward both with Aslanov's acquittal, which is unlikely, and with his punishment mitigation," Mr Gasanov told the "Caucasian Knot".

In Azerbaijani realities, the GPO is unlikely to ask for the acquittal of a political prisoner, Namizad Safarov, the coordinator of the Committee against Repressions and Torture, believes. "However, there's an option for re-qualifying the charges. For example, the article 'Treason' can be changed to 'Slander' against special services and offer to count his already served prison term; or to soften the verdict by replacing the imprisonment for conditional [punishment; but all this is possible only if there's authorities' political will," Mr Safarov has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 22, 2022 at 05:44 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.