Azerbaijan sentences individual to 6 years for inciting violent seizure of power

A court in Baku has sentenced Elshan Karimov to 6 years in prison following a trial on charges of publicly inciting violent seizure of power.

The verdict was delivered today at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes under the chairmanship of Judge Sabuhi Huseynov, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The state prosecutor requested a sentence of 7 years and 6 months, citing the severity of the charges, which also included the distribution of materials encouraging such acts. However, in a final plea, Karimov's defence lawyer, Zibeyda Sadigova, urged the court to issue a more lenient sentence, emphasizing mitigating circumstances.

The court ultimately sentenced Karimov to 6 years in prison, following a review of the case.

Karimov, 36, was arrested on April 17 of the previous year in the village of Rustamli in the Yevlakh district. The General Prosecutor's Office had initiated a criminal case against him under Article 281.1 of the Criminal Code, which addresses public incitement to violent overthrow of the government and the dissemination of related materials. Following his arrest, the Binaqadi District Court placed him in pre-trial detention for three months.

By Khagan Isayev