Well-known military expert released from custody

The final court hearing was held in the criminal case against military expert Adalyat Verdiyev, who was accused of disclosing information constituting state secrets.

As Oxu.Az reports, the verdict was read at the final hearing presided over by Judge Babek Panakhov of the Nasimi District Court.

In accordance with Article 70 (conditional sentence) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, A.Verdiyev was given a suspended sentence with a probationary period of 1 year. The preventive measure in the form of detention, previously imposed on the defendant, was changed, and he was released in the courtroom.

It should be noted that A.Verdiyev, known for his activities as a military expert, was detained and brought under investigation based on a submission from the General Prosecutor's Office.

According to the relevant statement from the supervisory authority, during monitoring conducted on November 22, 2024, in the media and internet resources, it was established that A.Verdiyev, who worked as the head of civil defense staff of the public legal entity "Center for Public Health and Reforms" of the Ministry of Health, having served in the military as a qualified officer in the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, caused substantial damage with serious consequences to interests ensuring state security and defense capability. A criminal case was initiated on this fact, and the preliminary investigation was assigned to the Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor's Office.

During the investigation, reasonable suspicions also arose that A.Verdiyev, participating as a military expert in a media tour organized on November 22 in territories liberated from occupation, demonstrated the heights where combat positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are located, the locations of border troops, coordinates and operational situation, providing comments, after which he distributed these videos through his social media account at a level accessible to an unlimited number of viewers, that is, using his official powers, caused substantial damage with serious consequences to the legally protected interests of state security and defense capability of Azerbaijan.

Based on the evidence collected, A.Verdiyev was charged under Articles 284.1 (disclosure of state secrets) and 308.2 (abuse of official powers resulting in serious consequences) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. By decision of the Binagadi District Court, based on the investigator's petition and the submission of the prosecutor who exercised procedural guidance over the preliminary investigation, a preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen against him.