The International Press Institute today condemned given to Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli last week on charges of smuggling, illegal border crossing and assaulting state officials.
Mukhtarli, who had fled to Georgia with his wife Leyla Mustafayeva in 2015, was kidnapped in May 2017 and forcibly returned to Azerbaijan. Mukhtarli鈥檚 lawyer, Elchin Sadigov, has said that his client was abducted from his home in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and then driven through Georgian and Azerbaijani border checkpoints. After being severely beaten, Mukhtarli鈥檚 kidnappers are said to have planted 10,000 euros in his pockets, which led to the smuggling charges.
Before his exile, Mukhtarli was covering suspected corruption in circles linked to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. According to his wife, Mukhtarli was investigating Aliyev鈥檚 family鈥檚 business ties in Georgia at the time of the kidnapping. She said Mukhtarli would have for fear of being detained.
IPI has previously criticised Georgia for its failure to protect Mukhtarli and other rights groups have of being complicit in Mukhtarli鈥檚 abduction
Mukhtarli insisted upon his innocence in a final statement to the court prior to sentencing on Jan. 12.
鈥淲e are here, and we write and write. You cannot silence us,鈥� Mukhtarli said in the court according to .
Umud Mirzayev, chair of IPI鈥檚 Azerbaijan National Committee, expressed disappointment with the court鈥檚 decision.
鈥淚 hope that the court will reinvestigate the case of Afgan Mukhtarli and adopt the decision about releasing him,鈥� Mirzayev said.
IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen called for Mukhtarli鈥檚 conviction to be overturned on appeal.
鈥淲e are concerned that the prosecution of Afgan Mukhtarli is in retaliation for his investigative reporting on the Aliyev regime. His apparent kidnapping from Georgia last year and his sentencing last week highlight the danger that government critics in Azerbaijan continue to face and the arbitrary nature of the country鈥檚 judicial system.鈥�
Both the European Parliament and the U.S. State Department, among other institutions, have condemned the jail sentence.
Azerbaijan has a long track of harassing investigative journalists. In 2015, an Azerbaijani court sentenced prominent investigative journalist Khadija Ismavilova to nine years in prison. She too was known for her coverage of Aliyev and his family. Ismavilova was released in 2016 following international pressure. In 2017, journalist and blogger Mehman Huseynov was convicted of defaming a police station after revealing alleged abuses he suffered at the police鈥檚 hands. He was sentenced to two years in prison in March.