An activist from the Imishli district branch of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), Vugar Gadirli, a veteran of the Karabakh War and a person with a Group II disability, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
According to the APFP, the verdict was delivered on June 30 by the Imishli District Court.
Vugar Gadirli was detained in the Imishli district on December 12 of last year. The following day, the court ordered his pretrial detention under the article of the Criminal Code concerning the illegal possession of firearms.
The APFP states that Vugar Gadirli has no connection to the charges brought against him. The party says that the Karabakh War veteran was arrested on fabricated charges because of his political activities.
According to the party, more than 20 of its members and activists, including its chairman Ali Karimli, are currently in prison. The party maintains that they are also being persecuted for political reasons.
The latest list published by the Union for the Freedom of Azerbaijan’s Political Prisoners includes the names of 328 political prisoners.
The Azerbaijani authorities reject claims that politically motivated arrests take place in the country. Official bodies state that those who have been arrested are being prosecuted for specific criminal offenses, not because of their political views.
