Journalist Arshad Ibragimov appeals to Azerbaijani President for pardon

In his motion on pardon to President Ilham Aliev, journalist Arshad Ibragimov has noted that he has already served half of his sentence at a penal colony and that he was an internally displaced person (IDP) from Nagorno-Karabakh.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 18, 2014, Arshad Ibragimov was arrested in the city of Ganja on the charge of fraud. The Ganja Court found him guilty of blackmail. In June 2016, the Arshad Ibragimov's sentence was reduced to 5 years of imprisonment.

Bakhruz Bairamov, an advocate of Arshad Ibragimov, has noted that the journalist appealed to President Ilham Aliev with a request "to consider the half of the sentence already served" and "involvement in hostilities in defence of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan." Moreover, Arshad Ibragimov called on the Azerbaijani President to take into account the fact that he was an IDP from Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, according to the advocate, "a motion for pardon does not mean that Arshad Ibragimov confessed to the crime."

"Arshad Ibragimov fell victim to slander. He wrote articles exposing a former official of the Kelbajar District involved in corruption and wrote about the facts of issuance of false official university diplomas," said Bakhruz Bairamov.

According to him, "it is very difficult to achieve acquittal in the current realities of Azerbaijan."

When asked whether Arshad Ibragimov could sign a motion under pressure, the advocate answered in the negative.

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