Important Sentences Given to Exiled Figures in Baku

Elshad Abdullayev

The Baku Grave Crimes Court recently made a legal move by sentencing two well-known Azerbaijanis living abroad. On December 23, Judge Fakhri Mammadov announced the sentences for Elshad Abdullayev and Ganimat Zahid. Abdullayev used to head the Azerbaijan International University and Zahid is the editor of the Azadlıq newspaper.

Elshad Abdullayev Gets 15 Years

Abdullayev received the lengthiest sentence, with 15 years in prison. The former university head faced accusations. The court said Abdullayev was guilty of trafficking organs and tissues and not paying a lot of taxes, and taking bribes many times. There were accusations of using his position wrongly and trying to bribe people.

Before this, the Prosecutor General's Office wanted to question Abdullayev in May. Because he never showed up, they got an arrest warrant, which resulted in the lengthy sentence. Abdullayev lives in another country and says he did nothing wrong. He hasn't spoken about the court's decision.

Ganimat Zahid Sentenced to 7 Years

The court also sentenced Ganimat Zahid to 7 years in prison. Zahid broke Article 281.2 of the Criminal Code, which involves publicly trying to harm the government. The lawsuit was because of what Zahid said on his YouTube channel in 2018. The court decided he was telling people to use force against the government.

What This Means

These cases show how the Azerbaijani courts deal with important citizens living in other countries. Even though these sentences were decided while the men were away, they still matter legally. It shows that the government wants to handle accusations about national security and financial problems. As of now, neither man is in jail in Azerbaijan, and it is not yet known what the rest of the world will think of these sentences.