The court has reduced the sentence of an Azerbaijani opposition activist.

The Court of Appeal has reduced the administrative arrest of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party activist Murad Sultanli.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Murad Sultanli (also known as Murad Sultan), chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party's (APFP) audit commission, has been unavailable for contact since midday on December 16, the party's press secretary, Natig Adilov, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. He suggested that Sultanli may be detained by security forces. Sultanli's fate became clear on December 18, when it was announced that he had been administratively arrested for 30 days, Adilov reported.

On December 24, the Baku Court of Appeal heard the appeal against Murad Sultanli's arrest, Seymur Hazi, deputy chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
 
According to him, Sultanli denied the allegations of administrative offenses—petty hooliganism and disobeying police—at the trial, claiming he had been slandered. Sultanli also noted that after his arrest, he was not allowed to contact his family or hire a lawyer of his choice.

Nevertheless, the appellate court upheld his guilty verdict and reduced his sentence by only five days—from 30 to 25 days, Hazi noted. He emphasized that in the future, a complaint will be filed with the ECHR against the decision to arrest Sultanli.

A BAS employee confirmed the information about the reduction of Sultanli's arrest term by five days.
 
Earlier, the head of the PFPA press service, Natig Adilov, said that Sultanli, in addition to fulfilling his functional duties in the party, is an active user of social networks.
 
"Murad Sultanli actively wrote on Facebook* about the illegal arrest of PFPA leader Ali Karimli, the persecution of other party activists and the death in prison of a young member of our party, Elbai Karimli. Even after the arrest of PFPA leader Ali Karimli, pressure on party activists continues. Activist Vugar Gadirli was arrested, the charges against Novruz Tagiev. And now Murad Sultanli has been detained. The number of PFPA members arrested on trumped-up, politically motivated criminal charges has reached 20," Adilov noted.