The final hearing in the criminal case against Azer Gasimli, head of the Institute of Political Management, took place at the Baku Serious Crimes Court on March 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The verdict against Azer Gasimli was announced during the hearing, which was presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Azer Gasimli was given a 12-year prison sentence by the court.
The state prosecutor had earlier called for a 13-year sentence.
In his final court address, Azer Gasimli maintained his innocence and described his imprisonment as politically driven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am not a criminal, and I have never engaged in any criminal acts. The court investigation has once again confirmed this. The prosecution has neither a witness nor any evidence to support the charges. We proved that the indictment is nothing but empty words and lies, using testimony from real witnesses and actual facts. In fact, under the presumption of innocence, this shouldn\u2019t even have been necessary,\u201d<\/em> Gasimli said in his statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gasimli added that he is the only victim in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey have taken both my freedom and my property. My arrest was entirely politically motivated,\u201d <\/em>he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing his final statement by opening with the words of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, Gasimli emphasized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n