Baku: The final court hearing has been held in the criminal case initiated by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan against Turalbay Mehdiyev, who is accused of committing treason at the instruction of representatives of foreign states, APA reports. The verdict was announced during the session held at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes under the chairmanship of Judge Firdovsi Aliyev.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Turalbay Mehdiyev was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. He will serve his sentence in a high-security correctional facility. Mehdiyev was found guilty under Articles 274 (treason), 281.3 (public calls against the state, when committed on the instructions of foreign organizations and their representatives), and 283.1 (incitement of national, racial, social, or religious hatred and hostility, when committed publicly, including through the media) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.