Azerbaijan sentences foreign spy to 12.5 years in prison

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced foreign national Sohrabi Akbar Geshmat to 12.5 years in prison after finding him guilty of espionage on behalf of foreign intelligence services.

The verdict was issued during a trial at the Lankaran Court on Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Oruj Jalilov, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The prosecution stated that Geshmat attempted to recruit Azerbaijani citizens to collaborate with the intelligence services of a foreign country. He was accused of collecting information on strategic sites and passing it on to another state.

Geshmat was charged under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan by the Investigation Department of the State Security Service.

By Vafa Guliyeva