23:38, 25 August 2017

Defence to challenge Mekhman Aliev’s arrest

Mekhman Aliev (on the right). Photo by Aziz Karimov for "Caucasian Knot"

The arrest for three months of Mekhman Aliev, Director of the “Turan” Azerbaijani News Agency, will be appealed against in court, said his advocate; while Aliev himself rejects the charges.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 16, the staff of the Ministry for Taxes of Azerbaijan began inspecting the “Turan” office. On August 24, Mekhman Aliev was detained and accused under criminal articles of illegal entrepreneurship with extraction of large-scale incomes, tax evasion and abuse of office. The strictest sanction provides for up to five years of imprisonment.

The charges brought against Mekhman Aliev and his arrest are groundless and indicate a political order, said Fuad Agaev, his advocate, treating the charge of abuse of office as absurdity, "Aliev was the founder of the agency, this is his business. Why should he abuse of office?"

He also treats the allegation of illegal disposal of grants as senseless.

Earlier, the international organization in defence of journalists, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), had condemned Aliev's arrest. "His only ‘crime’ is his heading of the country’s last independent medium," says the RWB’s statement.

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

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent