The appeal hearing for Ilduza Hajiyeva, known as 'Arzum' on the TikTok platform, begins today at the Baku Court of Appeal.
Ilduza Hajiyeva, who was arrested approximately 20 days ago, was brought to the court from the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center under police escort.
According to reports, the TikToker's relatives gathered in front of the Baku Court of Appeal about an hour before the start of the court session.
Recall that the verdict against Ilduza Hajiyeva was delivered by the Khazar District Court on July 2. She was sentenced to 5 years and 2 months in prison after being found guilty of causing a fatal traffic accident and leaving the scene.
However, Ilduza Hajiyeva does not agree with the charges and maintains her innocence. For this reason, her lawyers have filed an appeal against the first-instance court's verdict.
The defense claims that Ilduza Hajiyeva was not at fault in the traffic accident and that the first-instance court's decision is neither legal nor well-founded. The lawyers are requesting an acquittal.
According to the information, the injured party has also filed an appeal in recent days. Sanubar Muradova, the wife of Amal Malikov, who lost his life in the accident, is demanding that the sentence imposed on Ilduza Hajiyeva be increased.
Ilduza Hajiyeva's appeal will be heard under the chairmanship of Judge Elnur Nuriyev. The first court session is scheduled to begin at 10:45.
Note that the incident occurred in June of last year. As a result of the accident, 29-year-old Amal Malikov lost his life, and his wife, Sanubar Muradova, sustained serious injuries.
Amal Malikov's relatives have refused to reconcile with Ilduza Hajiyeva and are demanding that she be punished appropriately under the law.
The arrest of Ilduza Hajiyeva in the courtroom caused a wide resonance in society. Various discussions have taken place regarding the footage of the accident circulated on social media. Lawyers and experts have analyzed the footage and put forward different legal positions regarding the incident.