Court proceedings on the criminal case against opposition activist Fuad Akhmedli were concluded on June 16, when the Baku Court for Grave Crimes handed him a four-year jail sentence. The public prosecutor had requested seven-year term.
Akhmedli, leader of the Khatai branch of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Youth Committee was arrested on June 18, 2016. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Security Service, Akhmedli was accused of divulging the personal data of “Azerfon” mobile network subscribers to third parties.
However, the prosecution struggled to produce evidence to substantiate the case against Akhmedli. None of the victims named in the investigation attended the trial to make formal claims against the defendant, and therefore the trial did not confirm their status as victims. One of the alleged victims, Mohammad Guliyev, is himself wanted on fraud charges.
Fuad Akhmedli has been included in the updated list of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, published by a local civil society working group.
