Faig Amirli has been
ordered
to pay 39,021 AZN ($23,000) in back taxes, owed, a court has ruled, by the opposition newspaper
Azadliq
, where Amirli is the financial director. If Amirli fails to pay by 16 November, according to the same ruling, his property will be confiscated and put up for sale.
Amirli, who is also an aide to Ali Karimli, the chairman of the opposition Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party, was arrested on 20 August, 2016, on charges of inciting religious and ethnic hatred. Later tax evasion and abuse of office were added to the charges, and on 24 July, 2017, Amirli was sentenced to three years and three months in prison.
Amirli was released early on 5 September, on the condition that he sign a pledge to register with the police twice a month and notify authorities of any change of address.
International organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have
condemned
the verdict against Amirli. His defense lawyers have filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that his rights to freedom and privacy have been violated (Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights).
