12:06, 3 March 2017

Blogger Mekhman Guseinov sentenced to two years of imprisonment

Blogger Mekhman Guseinov. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the 'Caucasian Knot'.

Today, the Surakhani District Court of Baku has sentenced blogger Mekhman Guseinov, Director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), to two years of imprisonment on the charge of defamation. He was taken into custody at the courtroom.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the case against Mekhman Guseinov was filed under article of defamation. In particular, after his arrest on January 9, the blogger claimed that he had been tortured by policemen. Officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and Musa Musaev, the chief of the police department, treated those statements as slander.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has reported that today the court pronounced the verdict of guilty against Mekhman Guseinov and did not allow the defence to prepare the final speech.

Advocate Elchin Sadygov has called the court's decision "illegal" and "politically motivated."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent