Thale Bagirzade is detained illegally

Preliminary investigation  in the case of Thale Bagirzade , a Nardaran theologian, is accused of illegal possession of drugs.

A criminal case has been was sent to the Sabunchu District Court of Baku, according to the lawyer Cavad Cavadli.

According to him, no new charges are in the indictment.

Religious and linguistic expertise of public speeches by Bagirzade was held  by the employees of the State Committee to Work with Religious Associations, and did not identify expressions which may be the subject of a criminal investigation, he said.

Meanwhile, the  term of the arrest of Bagirzade expired on September 30. The lawyer said that there is not  new court decision to extend the period of detention. Therefore ,  he is  actually being detained illegally, according to the lawyer.

"The investigation refers to the norms of the Criminal Procedure Code on the possibility of automatic extension of the arrest after sending the case to court. But there is a decision of the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan, and the precedents of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Azerbaijan, according to which the transference of the case to the court, does not mean an automatic extension of detention. Any extension of the period of detention should be carried out with the sanction of the court," said the lawyer. He noted that these violations will be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.

Bagirzade was arrested  on March 31 on charges of illegal possession of drugs. This happened a week after his sermon in a mosque , where he sharply  criticized the authorities of Azerbaijan. -16B06-