Azerbaijani Court Dismisses Key Testimony Requests in Politician Azer Gasimli’s Appeal

Azer Gasimli

The Baku Court of Appeals has rejected all requests from Azer Gasimli’s defense team. Gasimli is the director of the Institute for Political Management and is currently in prison. This decision is making people question how transparent the case is. Many activists think the case is about politics.

In a hearing on April 27, Judge Zafar Ahmadov said the appeal would move forward without an investigation. This means some important witnesses will not be questioned.

Gasimli, 51, is a known political analyst. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison on March 11, 2024, for extorting money from someone. The prosecution says Gasimli threatened Gurbanali Yusibov to get money. Gasimli denies this and says he is a victim of a made-up case.

The defense team wants to question Farahbanu Niftaliyeva, Yusibov’s ex-wife. They think her testimony is crucial to proving Gasimli’s innocence. A lower court had ordered her to be questioned, but it never happened.

“There is a court order and it must be followed,” the defense team said. They pointed out that Yusibov said he was threatened at Niftaliyeva’s residence, although he no longer lived there at the time.

During the hearing, Gasimli spoke out against the process. "The court lets the father speak but not the mother," he said. He pointed out that Yusibov made statements.

The conflict started in 2020 over a $20,000 Bitcoin investment. Gasimli’s wife, Samira Gasimli, said Yusibov owed her husband money and no threats were made. The defense team thinks the case was made up.

The prosecutor said all questions were answered during the trial and the court dismissed the defense team's requests. The next hearing is on May 11.

Gasimli has been in custody since December 2023. He is one of high-profile politicians in Azerbaijan whose cases are being watched by international human rights observers.