The trial of Baxtiyar Haciyev, an activist who has been in detention for over a year, concluded on December 28 after a year-long investigation.
At the Baku Serious Crimes Court, prosecutor Eldar Hamza demanded an 11-year prison sentence for Haciyev. Additionally, the prosecutor requested the confiscation of Haciyev’s assets, including his apartment in Baku and his bank accounts, which had already been seized after his arrest.
Reacting to the prosecutor’s speech, Haciyev commented, “If this continues, they will want a life sentence for me…”
Haciyev faces charges under several articles of the Criminal Code, including Article 221.2.2 (hooliganism), 289.1 (contempt of court), 192 (illegal entrepreneurship), 193-1.3.2 (money laundering through criminal means), 320.1 (document forgery), 320.2 (using forged documents), and 206 (smuggling). These charges have been proven during the trial.
However, the statute of limitations has expired for the charges related to forged documents, meaning no punishment will be assigned for those offenses.
Haciyev’s trial will continue on January 6, 2025, during which his defense lawyers will present their arguments.
Baxtiyar Haciyev was arrested on December 9, 2022. Initially, he was charged with hooliganism (Article 221.2.2) and contempt of court (Article 289.1), after an alleged incident between him and blogger Ulviyya Muradova (Alovlu) at the Yasamal District Court. The charges also included accusations of applying force against enforcement officer Orxan Abdullayev during the incident.
On June 16, 2023, new charges were added, primarily related to financial matters and the misallocation of grant funds.
Further charges under Articles 192 (illegal entrepreneurship), 193-1 (money laundering), 206 (smuggling), and 320 (use of forged documents) were also brought against him. In November 2023, another charge of tax evasion (Article 213.1) was added.
Haciyev denies all the charges and claims that he was imprisoned as part of a politically motivated conspiracy. He believes his arrest is in retaliation for criticizing the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vilayat Eyvazov.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has denied the allegations, stating that they are baseless.
