ECtHR finds rights violation of Azerbaijani lawyer Ismailov

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has satisfied the complaint of the Azerbaijani lawyer, Aslan Ismailov about expelling him from the Bar Association, finding a violation of his right to a fair trial. However, the ECtHR did not appoint any compensation, since Ismailov had failed to put forward such a claim on time.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 8, 2013, the Presidium of the Bar Association of Azerbaijan suspended Ismailov's advocacy. The reason was in the complaint of a judge from Baku stating that the lawyer had insulted him. This happened after Ismailov's complaint about the judge's bias.

The ECtHR has found that the courts violated Ismailov's right to a fair trial. In particular, despite the fact that the lawyer pointed to the absence of reliable proofs of his insulting the judge, the Bar still punished him.

Ismailov himself has welcomed the decision of the ECtHR, treating it as a confirmation of the illegality of his expulsion from the Bar Association of Azerbaijan.

"In recent years, the Bar has excluded a number of lawyers, notable for their independent position, who made public flagrant violations of the law and human rights by law enforcement and security officials. Apart from Aslan Ismailov, the list includes Elchin Namazov, Khalid Bagirov, Yalchin Imanov, Irada Djavadova and Alaif Gasanov," Khalid Agaliev, an expert at the Institute of Media Rights, has explained.