French citizen sentenced to prison for graffiti in Baku metro

A Baku court sentenced French citizen Clerk Theo Hugo to 3 years in prison for graffiti in the capital's metro. It is noteworthy that citizens of New Zealand and Austria - De-Saint Quentin Ismael and Khan Paul, respectively - were sentenced to fines for similar offenses. Lawyer Elchin Sadigov is going to appeal.

"All three were charged for graffiti in the Baku metro depot in March this year. These foreigners arrived in Azerbaijan as tourists. They are artists, and in other countries they also painted graffiti, but until now the most serious consequence of such actions for them abroad was a fine of 400 euros. In Azerbaijan, they were brought to criminal liability. The court assessed the graffiti, which has no political meaning, as hooliganism and damage to someone else's property, which led to serious consequences," the lawyer shared.

On September 4, the French Foreign Ministry website published a message calling on citizens to refrain from traveling to Azerbaijan without a compelling reason.

“French citizens, including those with dual citizenship, residing or traveling in transit, are at risk of arrest, arbitrary detention and unfair trial in Azerbaijan. This risk may particularly affect people on a simple tourist visit or business trip. In the event of arrest or detention, respect for fundamental rights is not guaranteed,” the message said.

The head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Ayhan Hajizade, responded to this call, calling it “unfounded.”

“Such an unfounded and biased decision and statement by France indicate the intention of this country to further aggravate relations with Azerbaijan. The allegations of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs about the unfounded detention and arrest of French citizens are completely groundless,” Hajizade said.

He noted that so far only one French citizen, Martin Ryan, has been detained in Azerbaijan as a suspect in espionage. Another Frenchman, Tego Hugo, was detained for an act committed in the Baku metro. At the same time, the press secretary recalled that the French authorities had in every way hindered Azerbaijani journalists during their visits to the country, thus violating human rights.

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