Sentence against the head of the website azadxeber.org Nijat Aliyev is of political nature

Editor-in-chief of religious orientation azadxeber.org Nijat Aliyev, was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for political reasons, said at a press conference of the Public Committee to Protect the Rights of Nijat Aliyev, which was held on December 17 at the office of the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS.)

Aliyev and nine believers, accused of illegal possession of drugs and weapons, inciting religious  hatred, calling to seize  the power , distribution of banned religious literature verdict was read the Baku Serious Crimes Court on  December 9. They were sentenced to various terms  in prison  from three  months and two months to 10 years.

The accused are charged with distribution of video criticizing  holding "Eurovision" in Baku, and possible gay parade. The investigation has seen in footage antigovernment appeals, inciting  inter-religious hatred, etc.

Parvin Zeynalov, a member of the Public Committee  to  Protect the Rights of  N.Aliyev, claimed  the fraud  in the lawsuit. According to him, Aliyev was arrested in May 2012 on charges of drug trafficking, but nine months later , he was charged on three inciting inciting religious  hatred, calling for the seizure of power, and  distribution of banned religious literature.

According  to Zeynalov, charges with drug  could not be proved, and  therefore  investigation has added three more charges.

Zeynalov also called unfounded charges of involvement of  Aliyev in the  "organized criminal group." According to him, Aliyev met other defendants only after his arrest during being kept in the jail.

Zeynalov  said that the  court delayed the issuance of a court sentence of the text , despite the  eight days  passed since the  adoption of the decision by the court. 

According  to Zeynalov,  Aliyev was arrested for his journalistic activities.

Head of the Committee to Protect the Rights of  Islamists,  Mirgasim Aliyev, also condemned the persecution of Islamists for political reasons.

According to him, the only fault  of these people is their commitment to national and spiritual values​.

"Why  an MP Gular Ahmadova, undermining the foundations of statehood, had been  sentenced for "selling a deputy's mandate"  only to three years in  prison,  but  innocent people   have been sentenced to 10 years in prison," said M. Aliyev.

He demanded  to stop the arrests of citizens on trumped up charges, and release all political prisoners.

Public defenders  of Aliyev  called on the media to keep the focus of the society on unjustly convicted  believers.—05C06--