The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the disbarment of Azerbaijani human rights lawyer Yalchin Imanov violated his rights to freedom of expression and private life.
The case, Imanov v. Azerbaijan, concerned Mr. Imanov’s public statements to the press in 2017 about the alleged torture of his client in Gobustan Prison. Following these statements, he was subjected to disciplinary proceedings and ultimately disbarred by Azerbaijani courts. The ECHR found that this sanction was disproportionate and lacked sufficient justification.
The Court held that the disbarment breached Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 8 (right to private life) of the European Convention on Human Rights. It emphasized that Mr. Imanov’s statements concerned a matter of public interest, were not baseless, and should have been protected under the Convention.
The applicant was represented by a legal team coordinated by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC), including Prof. Philip Leach and Ramute Remezaite.
Click here for the full judgment.
ECHR Rules in Favour of Disbarred Azerbaijani human rights lawyer
