The Lankaran Court of Serious Crimes sentenced a Shirvan resident, born in 1997, to three years in prison on charges of illegal possession of psychotropic substances (Article 234.1-1 of the Criminal Code). Judge Javanshir Nabiyev delivered the verdict on September 18.
The defendant told the court he did not possess the drugs and that a substance was placed in his pocket by police officers, who also pressured him into making a coerced confession. He linked his detention to two factors: a video he had shared via private message on social media showing police violence against a civilian, and his religious beliefs — something he said he was informed of while held in pre-trial detention.
According to the defendant’s account, plainclothes individuals approached and forced him into a vehicle. Officers then showed him the video and told him he had shared it publicly; he maintained he had sent it privately to a contact several months earlier. Officers then allegedly placed a package in his jacket pocket and demanded he state the substance was his. When he refused, he says he was subjected to physical violence and further coercion at the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime.
A medical examination noted an abrasion on his nose and bruising on his chest, though experts assessed the injuries as likely predating his arrest by five to seven days. The General Prosecutor’s Office dismissed a complaint of police abuse without opening a criminal case.
The court rejected the prosecution’s more serious charge – possession with intent to supply – finding no evidence of scales, buyer communications, orders, test purchases, or sales proceeds. It reclassified the offense to simple possession and imposed a three-year sentence, finding no mitigating or aggravating circumstances.