Court of appeal failed to release religious activist

Baku/15.03.22/Turan: The Baku Court of Appeal on 14 March dismissed the appeal of Elshan Abbasov, a member of the "Muslim Unity" movement, arrested on charges of drug trafficking (234.4.3 of the Criminal Code).

Note that on March 5, the Narimanov district court arrested him for 4 months.

Lawyer Neymat Kerimli told Turan that at court Abbasov denied the charges. He said that he was detained in Barda by persons in plainclothes, and then taken to Baku - to the Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Organized Crime. There, Abbasov confessed under torture.

The defence believes that Abbasov was arrested for his religious views. He has already been convicted twice: in October 2012 for one year of imprisonment for participating in a protest against the ban on the hijab in schools, and in 2017 for 2.5 years of imprisonment on charges of illegal possession of drugs.

Human rights activists are convinced that Abbasov is being prosecuted for religious education of young people, for organization of Quran courses where he talked about the harm of drugs as well.

It was not possible to obtain comments from the Interior Ministry press service. -03В06-