Afgan Mukhtarli Loses Azerbaijani Supreme Court Appeal

The Azerbaijan Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Afgan Mukhtarli, the journalist who disappeared from a Tbilisi street in May of 2017 and reappeared two days later in a Baku courtroom.

Afgan Mukhtarli entering court in Shaki, Azerbaijan earlier this year Mukhtarli is serving a six-year sentence on charges of illegally crossing the border back into his native Azerbaijan, assaulting a border guard, and carrying 10,000 euro of undeclared currency. Mukhtarli claims he was kidnapped in Georgia and forced across the border.

According to the Turan news agency, Mukhtarli did not attend Tuesday's hearing. His lawyer Elchin Sadigov was trying to overturn a decision made by the Appeals Court in Sheki. After a short discussion, the Supreme Court judges upheld the earlier rulings.