Nakhchivan

On January 19, at 5 pm, Nakhchivan City Court held a hearing on the case of imprisoned Azerbaijan Popular Front Member, Zeynalabdin Bagirzade. Zeynalabdin Bagirzade`s lawyer, Asabali Mustafayev, filed a motion requesting the court  to replace three months of pre-trial detention with house arrest because of his health problems, but Judge Huseyn Mammadov did not grant the motion.

Lawyer Asabali Mustafayev visited Nakhchivan as part of a  two day trip to familiarize himself with the criminal case and attend the court hearing. He also investigated the prison conditions under which Bagirzade is being kept. Mustafayev reported that Z.Bagirzade has serious health problems.

Background

On December 26th, Judge Mehman Dunyamaliyev of Nakhchivan City Court sentenced Zeynalabdin Bagirzade to three months of pre-trial detention. He had been charged under Article 310 (misappropriating authority) and the Article 178.3.2 (fraud causing serious damage) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The charges were filed by the General Prosecutor of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

Report by Elman Abbasov, IRFS correspondent to Nakhchivan.