The sentence for Azerbaijani activist Orujov has been confirmed.

The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan rejected activist Mohyaddin Orujov's appeal, upholding his three-year sentence in a drug case. The defense intends to appeal the conviction in the ECHR.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on February 25, 2025, a Baku court sentenced activist Mohyaddin Orujov to three years in prison, finding him guilty of drug trafficking. Orujov called the case fabricated and explained that he was persecuted after speaking out for his labor rights and the rights of other workers at the ATEF plant. In early January, Orujev came under pressure from prison administration: according to his lawyer, the administration was turning other prisoners against Orujev.

The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan today considered a cassation appeal against the appellate court's decision in Orujov's case, his lawyer, Nazim Musayev, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The defense attorney stated that "the consideration of the cassation appeal has become a mere formality."

"Unfortunately, the Supreme Court failed to address the shortcomings of the unfair trial in the lower courts, upholding the verdict. They simply ignored inconsistencies in witness testimony: Mohyaddin was detained in the factory courtyard, while the case file states that he was allegedly detained near a school. However, the witnesses in court couldn't even correctly state how many floors the school has; they gave different numbers, all of them incorrect. "Furthermore, the court failed to assess the violation of Orujev's rights after his arrest, the denial of access to a lawyer of his choice, and the denial of calls home," the lawyer said.

He noted that following the Supreme Court's decision, domestic appeal mechanisms have been exhausted. According to the lawyer, Orujev can now appeal to the ECHR.

A Supreme Court employee confirmed to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Orujev's appeal has been dismissed. Representatives of the prosecution were unavailable for comment.