Condemnation of an Activist to 16 Years in Prison and Summary Writing of Two Books on Azerbaijan

The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced a detained Azerbaijani civil activist, Mahmoud Ojaqlu, to a total of "16 years in prison," of which five years are enforceable. According to human rights sources on Wednesday, July 21, Mahmoud Ojaqlu was sentenced to "16 years in prison and supplementary punishments," and based on the application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the maximum enforceable sentence of five years applies to him. According to the notification from Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Abolqasem Salavati, he was sentenced to five years in prison for the charge of "gathering and colluding to commit a crime" and another five years for "membership in one of the opposition groups with the intent to disrupt national security." This political prisoner was also sentenced to five years in prison for "inciting people to war and slaughter against each other with the intent to disrupt national security" and one year for "propaganda against the regime." Mahmoud Ojaqlu, who was arrested on December 20, 2022, has been deprived of two years of "membership in political parties, groups, and associations" and "activities in cyberspace, media, and press" as per the verbally communicated verdict. He will also be banned from leaving the country for two years. Another supplementary punishment imposed on Mahmoud Ojaqlu is reading two books about the history, culture, and language of Azerbaijan and summarizing them. In recent days, the East Azerbaijan Court of Appeals also notified the lawyer of Mokhtar Ebrahimi, another Azerbaijani civil activist, of a one-year prison sentence. According to reports received by VOA, Mr. Ebrahimi, an activist from Maragheh, was sentenced by the Islamic Revolutionary Court to ten years in prison for the charge of "forming a group to disrupt national security," but his charge was changed to "propaganda against the regime" in the appeals court. Additionally, the report mentions increased pressures on plaintiffs; arrests, trials, imprisonment, and flogging of the relatives of those who died in protests, increased security pressures on Abdulhamid; the arrest and expulsion of 132 clerics from Makki Mosque, the judiciary claimed that the bruises on the body of "Payman Golvani" were due to severe psychological and motor restlessness, the Minister of Education stated that there should be considerations for teachers' activities in cyberspace, and actress Afsaneh Bayegan also withdrew from acting.