Opposition figure Gulu Mammadli stated that the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was expected, but the reasons go beyond simple criticism of the authorities. According to Mammadli, Karimli's publications in major Western media have increased his political significance and visibility abroad, which has caused concern among the Azerbaijani authorities.
At today's hearing, the 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova to a fine of 600 thousand rubles in the case of justifying terrorism. The prosecutor's motion, which requested a sentence of 6 years in prison for the defendant, was rejected.
A criminal case was opened against Kevorkova due to two posts on a Telegram channel. The first was the publication of an old text by Orkhan Dzhemal, who died in the CAR, about one of the leaders of the "attack on Nalchik" in 2005. The second publication was allegedly dedicated to the justification of the Taliban movement. It is noteworthy that at the end of May 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Justice announced that the Taliban could be removed from the list of banned organizations. The lawyer reported that experts did not find in the posts a threat to commit violent acts, incite hatred or promote an ideology of violence to influence government decisions.
Nadezhda Kevorkova is an active volunteer of the Solidarity Foundation, helping seriously ill children and low-income people. The journalist has repeatedly visited the Gaza Strip with the support of the Russian Foreign Ministry and covered the situation in the Middle East, worked in Iraq and Iran. In addition, Kevorkova is the author of three books about Palestine and numerous articles on religion.