Opposition activist sentenced to four years in prison in Azerbaijan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 June 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Opposition activist sentenced to four years in prison in Azerbaijan, 16 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59818dec6.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 16, 2017 11:36 GMT
By RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service
Azerbaijani opposition activist Fuad Ahmadli
BAKU – An activist of Azerbaijan's opposition Popular Front Party (AXCP) has been sentenced to four years in prison after a trial that he said was politically motivated.
The Baku Court for Serious Crimes on June 16 found Fuad Ahmadli guilty of giving to a third party illegally obtained personal data of a mobile operator's clients, and sentenced him the same day.
Ahmadli was arrested in August 2016 and charged with stealing the personal data of clients of mobile operator Azerfon, where he worked at the time.
Ahmadli told the court that the verdict was unfair and said the case against him was politically motivated, suggesting it was punishment for his activism.
"By handing down this this unfair and ordered-from-above verdict you are adding yourselves to history's dark pages," Ahmadli said, addressing the court.
Critics of longtime President Ilham Aliyev's government say authorities in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state frequently seek to silence dissent by jailing opposition activists, reporters, rights defenders, and civil-society advocates on trumped-up charges.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
