On April 21 the first preparatory hearing on the criminal case against Anar Mammadli, the chairman of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center and his colleagues Bashir Suleymanli and Elnur Mammadov was held at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. Several motions have been raised during the process. Although motions to terminate the case and replace custodial arrest with a house arrest were not met, Mr. Mammadli was allowed to sit next to his lawyer.
The lawyer Fazil Namazli says that individuals who were affected in the first place in their testimonies haven’t accused Mr. Mammadli or other parties: “Considering the absence of any sort of damage to those individuals, we have requested the court to terminate their participation in the process. At the same time, we have requested to look closely into the case of the person who falsely testified”.
Mr. Mammadli was summoned to the General Prosecutor Office for Grave Crimes Investigation at 5 p.m. on December 16, 2013 and charged with illegal business activities under the Criminal Code. On the same day, the chairman was arrested at the Nasimi District Court. During the investigation, Mr. Mammadli was additionally charged with the tax evasion. If found guilty, Mr. Mammadli might be sentenced up to 8 years of imprisonment.
