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Intigam Aliyev, an Azerbaijani human rights lawyer, was granted Human Rights Award of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). Mr Aliyev’s children were present at the ceremony in Vienna to receive the award, according to the CCBE’s press release.

“At its Extraordinary Plenary Session in Vienna, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) granted its 2015 Human Rights Award to Mr Intigam Aliyev, an Azerbaijani human rights lawyer who has devoted his life to protecting the rights of individuals against the repressive system of the Azerbaijani government. Intigam Aliyev has provided legal assistance and representation to the politically persecuted for decades,” CCBE said.

In October 2015, Intigam Aliyev was also named the winner of the 2015 International Bar Association (IBA) Human Rights Award in honour of his dedicated fight to uphold human rights and the rule of law in Azerbaijan. As Mr Aliyev was unable to collect the Award in person, the award was handed to his son and daughter, Narmin and Necmin Kamilsoys.

On 22 April 2015, Azerbaijani human rights defender and the leader of the Legal Education Society, Intigam Aliyev, was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months imprisonment under Articles 213.1 (tax evasion), 308.2 (abuse of power with grave consequences), 192.2 (illegal entrepreneurship) and 179.3.2 (embezzlement) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Farid Nagiyev, the prosecutor, offered to condemn Aliyev to 10 years imprisonment in penal colony. Intigam Aliyev was arrested on 8 August 2014.

International rights groups claim that Aliyev was arrested on trumped up charges and that his human rights activities were the real reason for the persecutions. He has introduced applications of over 100 victims of alleged rights violations to the European Court of Human rights.