Accused of participation in the war in Syria, sentenced to 10 years

Baku / 23.08.17 / Turan: The trial in the case of Rovshan Gadirov, charged with participation in the war as part of illegal armed groups in Syria and Pakistan, completed on August 23 at the Baku Serious Crimes Court, chaired by Azad Majidov. The court found him guilty under the Articles 218 (organization of criminal association) and 279 (creation of an illegal armed group) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment.

Gadirov denied the charges. Defense intends to file an appeal, said the lawyer Adem Mammadov.

According to the indictment, a 38-year-old native of Guba district of Azerbaijan, Gadirov, left for Turkey to work. There he became acquainted with a certain Turkish citizen Ibrahim who informed Gadirov about the processes in Pakistan, the activities of Islamic armed groups in defense of the Sharia and their struggle against the "oppressors of Muslims".

Under the influence of Ibrahim, Gadirov went to jihad in Pakistan in 2009 and joined the "Turkic jamaat" under the leadership of the commander nicknamed "Yunus."

However, afterwards, he "had disagreements with other Mujahideen" and in March 2010 he returned to Turkey. In September 2011, Gadirov "again decided to take part in the jihad", now heading to Syria. But after his wound in January 2012, Gadirov returned to Turkey. On April 17, he came to Azerbaijan and after a while was arrested. Gadirov denied the charges, saying that he was not in Pakistan at all, but went to Syria to deliver humanitarian aid.

According to the lawyer, the investigation did not provide any evidence against Gadirov, but was based only on his personal testimonies, knocked out under pressure. According to the defense, Gadirov is not a follower of radical religious movements at all, but professes Sufi Islam. The lawyer called the verdict "extremely harsh" and said that the defense will appeal him to the court of appeal. -06B-