Defendant accused of Ismayilli events fainted during trial

Yesterday the Sheki Court of Grave Crimes continued hearings on the Ismayilli events. Eighteen people are defendants on the case, including the head of the REAL movement Ilgar Mamedov and the deputy chairman of the Musavat Party Tofig Yagublu.

During the meeting on December 25, testimonies were heard from five defendants, who are Ismailly residents. They said that during the investigation they had been tortured to confess. At trial, they pleaded not guilty.

The accused Mirkazym Abdullayev, who is an invalid of the Karabakh war and suffers from epilepsy, lost consciousness. An ambulance was called to the court.

Recall that on January 23-24 riots occurred in Ismayilli for the reason that the Chirag hotel manager committed hooliganism and there was an accident involving the nephew of the chief executive of the region, who insulted the local population.

A group of residents set fire to the hotel and to the cars that were in the yard. The next day, the locals began to protest, demanding the resignation of the head of the district. The rally later escalated into clashes with security forces.

Mamedov and Yagublu arrived in Ismayilli on January 24 to review the situation, when the riots were on the decline.

They were later arrested and charged with organizing mass riots and resisting their detention.

The international community has recognized Yagublu and Mamedov prisoners of conscience and repeatedly demanded their immediate release. The authorities ignored all these calls. Besides Mamedov and Yagublu, 16 more people are standing before the court. -16B06-