Azerbaijan: Yalchin Imanov's advocacy suspended

On November 20, the Presidium of the Bar Association suspended the powers of advocate Yalchin Imanov; besides, the Presidium decided to go to court to completely stop Imanov's status as an advocate and expel him from the Bar. Till the end of the trial, Imanov is removed from defending all his clients. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Yalchin Imanov himself.

"The pretext for the disciplinary proceedings against me was in my interviews in early August about the use of torture in Gobustan Prison against my client, Abbas Guseinov, an activist of the 'Muslim Unity' Movement," Mr Imanov has explained.

According to his story, the letter signed by Ogtai Mamedov, the acting head of the Penitentiary Service, asserts that the advocate had tried, by spreading "false reports that discredit the personnel" of the prison, "to undermine the country's stability, create a favourable ground for activating the forces that do not want its development, and casting a shadow on the activities and authority of state bodies."

Yalchin Imanov has noted that he will take legal steps to restore his status and, probably, file a counterclaim against the Presidium of the Bar Association.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.