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Human rights defender, head of the Legal Education Society NGO, Intigam Aliyev, who was recently released in Azerbaijan, intends to continue his activities in the field of human rights, Turan news agency reports.

On the day of his release, the human rights defender told journalists that he was happy to be free, however, he was upset by the fact that many of his friends were still imprisoned. “I will gladly exchange my freedom with their release,” Aliyev said.

However, lawyer Javad Javadov stated that despite Intigam Aliyev’s release from prison, the defense intends to achieve his full rehabilitation in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). According to him, the defense still insisted on the suspension of criminal proceedings during the consideration of the human rights defender’s case in the Plenum of the Supreme Court. Assessing positively the plenum’s decision on the commutation of sentence due to the human rights defender’s health condition, Javadov said that the defense will send an appeal to the ECHR to recognize the violation of Aliyev’s rights guaranteed by the European convention.

The human rights defender’s son Najmin Kamil called the verdict of the court on his father’s release an “expected decision.” “Although we do not consider this a recovery of justice, as the character of the verdict remained accusatory, the release is important for my father’s health and for the continuation of his activities,” Kamil said.

Narmin Kamilsoy, Aliyev’s daughter, said that now he can have treatment, continue his human rights activities, and help other political prisoners.

According to the Caucasian Knot, Intigam Aliyev did not go to his supporters after release, but was taken out secretly from lawyers and relatives. It is noted that Aliyev’s supporters and journalists had been standing near the colony for about 4 hours, and during that time, one truck and a Mercedes with tinted windows came out from the territory of the colony. Only after that was Aliyev’s son allowed to contact his father. It is highlighted that Aliyev’s house is in the village Saray situated near Sumgait, 30 kilometers north of Baku. 

In its turn, human rights organization Amnesty International writes that Azerbaijan’s authorities should have released the political prisoners long ago and corrected the injustice towards Intigam Aliyev and other prisoners of conscience, who are still behind bars. It is noted that Aliyev had been imprisoned on fabricated accusations, besides, the organization headed by him – which supported the victims of political repressions representing their interests in the ECHR – was raided and closed down.

“Prisoner of conscience Intigam Aliyev has paid dearly for his frontline human rights work – the only ‘crime’ he committed was to defend his fellow citizens’ freedoms,” said Denis Krivosheev, Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International.

On March 28 prominent human rights defender head of the NGO Legal Education Society, Intigam Aliyev, was released by the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan.

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 human rights organizations announced that Aliyev had been arrested on fabricated accusations and had been persecuted for his human rights activities: he presented cases of more than 100 victims of alleged human rights violations to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

On March 17, Azerbaijan’s President IlhamAliyev signed a decree of pardon, due to which a part of the almost 100 political prisoners was released. Rashad Hasanov, Mohammed Azizov, RashadatAkhundov, activists of the movement NIDA; TofigYagublu and YadigarSadigli, deputy chairmen of the party Musavat; rights defenders RasulJafarov, TalehKhasmammadov, AnarMammadli and Hilal Mammadov; oppositionist Neimat Panahli; blogger Omar Mammadov; Siraj Karimli, who was recognized a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International; Akif Muradverdiyev, former head of the Executive Office of the President; and the journalist Parviz Hashimliare among the pardoned prisoners.