Nazakat Mammadova, a well-known political commentator, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for treason by a decision of the Baku Serious Crimes Court. The trial has ended these days and the verdict has been read.
Musavat.com reports that Nazakat Mammadova, 46, has been found guilty of cooperation with Russian special services. The indictment mentions that he received assignments under the guise of “political commentator” and “journalist.” Mammadova was also the director of a YouTube channel called Alfa TV, which aired openly pro-Russian material. The prosecution claims that the creation of this channel, the organization of interviews and the dissemination of other materials are part of its activities.
The documents of the criminal case claim that N. Mammadova made frequent trips to Moscow, participated in secret meetings and was sent money in exchange for these activities. It is interesting that these money transfers were not made in the name of Mammadova, but in the names of others and were withdrawn from the bank. He is accused of trying to connect other people with employees of the Russian special services.
However, Nazakat Mammadova denies these accusations. Mammadova, who considers herself innocent, said she went to Moscow mainly for lectures and speeches. According to him, the money he received consisted solely of royalties paid for these activities and travel expenses. “If I intended to buy money secretly, I would have brought it in cash. I didn’t want my ex-wife to know my income, so I took the money out in other people’s names,” Mammadova testified.
It should be remembered that Nazakat Mammadova was detained by Azerbaijani law enforcement forces in October 2023.
