A Baku court sentenced public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev to 10 years in prison. His apartment and money in bank accounts were also confiscated.
Hajiyev called all the charges falsified and absurd, and the sentence politically motivated. According to him, the real reason for the arrest is his active work and calls to impose sanctions against those who violate human rights in Azerbaijan.
Earlier, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev addressed the leadership of the 29th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), held in Baku. He asked to raise with the country's leadership the issue of releasing people imprisoned for political reasons and for religious beliefs.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was detained on December 9, 2022, on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court. Then he was also charged with illegal entrepreneurship, legalization of proceeds from crime, and smuggling. Human rights activists recognized him as a political prisoner.
