We are disturbed by the April 22 decision of an Azerbaijani court to sentence human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev to seven and a half years in prison, and a subsequent three-year ban from holding public office, on questionable charges.

One of the country’s most well-known human rights lawyers and head of the Legal Education Society, Aliyev worked extensively to promote the rule of law in Azerbaijan and defend peaceful activists. He submitted hundreds of cases to the European Court of Human Rights, winning a number of them.

We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to release Aliyev and others incarcerated in connection with exercising their fundamental freedoms. We also urge the government to afford all Azerbaijani citizens the rights guaranteed in the international agreements to which Azerbaijan has committed.