Former prosecutor general and military prosecutor should be held accountable - sensational statement by deputy

Baku/16.12.22/Turan: It seems that in the so-called "Terter case" about the alleged espionage of a military group in favor of Armenia, a key moment is coming. So, at the official level, there was an accusation that the former leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office falsified this case, illegally and unreasonably accusing hundreds of people of treason. This was stated today at a meeting of the Milli Majlis by the head of the parliamentary committee on human rights, Zahid Oruj.

According to him, during the review of hundreds of cases, 405 people were reinstated. Prior to that, for 5 years, the military prosecutor's office represented them as traitors. “Finally, it became clear who is lying to the state and people. Former Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov never met these mothers and never investigated the false accusations. Now they both must apologize to the commander-in-chief, the people, our military, and the victims,” the deputy said.

He called for the restoration of the rights of unreasonably convicted and compensation. Those who wanted to undermine citizens' confidence in the legal system must be exposed. “For 5 years of anti-state propaganda, those who ordered and organizers of false sentences of treason, organizers of lynching in military units, investigators of the Military Prosecutor's Office and military judges are responsible. Those who participate in this case should not be left behind,” Oruj said.

He compared the perpetrators of the falsification of the "Terter case" with the occupiers, calling them an "organized gang" and called for the abolition of the Military Prosecutor's Office and bringing investigators in the Terter case to justice.

“Compensation for the victims should not be reimbursed by the state, but by those who created this fake case. We believe that an objective decision will be made regarding another 12 people. If the criminals are free, scenarios of fake espionage and betrayal, conspiracies against the army and the state will continue,” Zahid Oruj said in conclusion.

Note that such a speech would not have been possible without a direct order from above.

This suggests that the authorities are ready to seriously punish the former leadership of the prosecutor's office in the person of Zakir Garalov and the current head of the military prosecutor's office, Khanlar Veliyev, the former chief of the General Staff, Najmeddin Sadigov, and other military and investigators involved in the Terter case.

*In May 2017, the Prosecutor General's Office, the State Security Service, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan announced the detention of servicemen on charges of spying for the Armenian special services.

Later, in 2019, the details of the cases gradually began to be disclosed to the public the mass torture conducted in May and June 2017 against military personnel suspected of espionage. However, no evidence was presented. During the illegal investigation and torture, 11 people under investigation were killed, dozens of people were illegally convicted.

Relatives and friends of the convicted and the dead have been holding protests for 5 years, demanding justice. Human rights activists regularly published facts that refute the official version of espionage. However, the authorities pretended not to see or hear these legitimate demands. Finally, in November 2021, the military prosecutor of Azerbaijan, Khanlar Veliyev, acknowledged the existence of mass torture and announced the initiation of criminal cases, but at the same time stated that the “Terter case” was deliberately inflated by “people with an Armenian essence.”

On September 5, 2022, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, Kamran Aliyev, addressed the plenum of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan with a proposal to review the sentences of 19 convicts from the list of victims of the “Terter case.” These individuals have recently been acquitted and released.

Subsequently, several officers of the Ministry of Defense, including one general, were accused of illegal conduct of the investigation, abuse of authority and torture of those arrested. Several people were arrested and convicted. However, the organizers of this shameful case have not yet been punished. ---02D---