Anar Mammadov and two other activists reject the charges against them

Baku/14.05.14/Turan : Trial in the case of the head of the  EMDSC, Anar Mammadov , executive director of the NGO - Suleymanli Bashir and the head of the Public Association for International Cooperation Volunteers ( PAICV), Elnur Mammadov, continued in the Baku Serious Crimes Court  chaired by Rauf Aliyev . All of them are charged under the Criminal Code 5 - tax evasion , illegal business , abuse of office , embezzlement on a large scale and official forgery . A  lawsuit was filed  in the end of October, 2013. On December 17  Mammedli  was taken into custody and two others are under house arrest .

At the trial on 14 May they appeared before court.

Mammadli said that during the investigation he first  testified as a witness , and then the defendant .

At the initial stage of the investigation was interested by the conclusion of the EMDSC  on the results of monitoring the presidential elections on October  9, 2013, and was wondering if the  grantor - the National Democratic Institute (USA) influenced the final conclusion of the observation mission .

Mammadli noted that neither NDI nor any other structures  affect the results of monitoring.

NDI only provided technical assistance. " We conducted an objective monitoring and it was caused by our desire to hold fair elections," said Mammadli. He noted that  on October 31, 2013 during a search  in the EMDSC were seized not only financial instruments , but also educational materials , which is another proof of the political nature of this case.

As for the charges , then Mammadli said that after the elimination of registration Election Monitoring Center , he and other members of the NGO was forced to engage in financial transactions as individual projects. Refusal to register  the EMDSC Mammadli regarded as political discrimination.

Mammadli called unfounded accusation of illegal business , as all operations on grants were based on official payments.

Mammadli himself for the period from 2006 to 2013 in the form of taxes paid 12,000 manat, and never received any warnings from the fiscal authorities.

Everything was transparent, the employees of the EMDSC and partners working in the region worked officially , had their  VÖİN, identification numbers of individual taxpayers.

To implement the project  on the presidential election in 2013  the EMDSC  chose  the PAICV  as a partner because after amendments to the legislation on March 11, 2013 it was necessary, since the EMDSC without state registration is forced to implement the project in collaboration with other NGOs with such registration.

Mammadli drew attention to the fact that only the victim , Hasan Hasanov gave evidence against the accused.  He said that this man taken as a lawyer withdrew from the project, and was dismissed.

Mammadli called the act of checking the financial  activity  of the EMDSC and PAICV unreasonable as unclear to what documents the inspectors appealed, because previously no cameral or exit tax audits  were conducted. Suleymanli and Mamedov also rejected all allegations.

The trial will continue on May 15 at 14:30.

Amnesty İnternational Mammedli recognized  them as a "prisoner of conscience." -16D-