On 24 July, a preparatory session for the trial of activist Mokhaddin Orujev started in Baku’s Critical Crimes Courtroom. Journalists and representatives of civil society weren’t allowed to attend the trial. M. Orujev was delivered to the court docket with handcuffs behind him.
In keeping with the activist’s kin, his lawyer Nazim Musayev demanded that {the handcuffs} be eliminated. The guards eliminated {the handcuffs}, however put them on from the entrance. The lawyer demanded to take away {the handcuffs} altogether. Nevertheless, the presiding choose Rasim Sadygov acknowledged that this challenge falls inside the competence of the penitentiary service. In response, the protection lawyer identified that selections are made by judges on the listening to. In addition to, preserving the accused in handcuffs in court docket is taken into account as torture by the precedent selections of the European Courtroom of Human Rights.
Additional, it turned out that neither the defendant nor the protection lawyer had been given an indictment for familiarization. Musayev regarded this as a violation of the defendant’s proper to protection.
On this regard, the choose determined to postpone the listening to to 30 July.
In a dialog with Turan correspondent, lawyer Musayev famous that non-admission of media representatives and different individuals to the trial violates the precept of openness and publicity of the court docket.
The protection considers the legal prosecution of Orujev unjustified and can search his acquittal.
*Orujev was arrested on 13 December 2023 on costs of drug trafficking on a big scale (Article 234.4.3 of the Prison Code of Azerbaijan). Earlier, in October 2023, he was administratively arrested for 30 days on costs of disobeying the police.
After his launch, Orujev acknowledged that the actual cause for his arrest was criticism of the authorities on social media. He additionally complained about beatings and inhuman therapy by the police.
