Four Men Involved in �Ganja Case� Released in Courtroom

Baku /10.08.19/ Turan: Four men involved in the "Ganja case" were released on August 9 after the appeals court commuted their sentences. Gadir Huseynov, Kamal Mammadtagiyev, Mireshgin Seyidov and Rauf Gurbanzadeh were released in the courtroom.

Previously, they were convicted together with 7 other people for periods of 7 to 10 years in prison under Art. 220.1 (participation in mass riots), 315.2 (use of violence against police officers, dangerously to their health), 228.1 (illegal possession of weapons) and 234 (drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code.

In particular, the court of first instance sentenced Gadir Huseynov, Kamal Mammadtagiyev, Mireshgin Seyidov and Rauf Gurbanzadeh to 7 years in prison.

Other defendants Vugar Allahverdiyev, Raul Suleymanov and Ulvi Hasanov received 8 years each, Kamal Guliyev and Ali Rzayev 8.5 years each, and Khayal Gafarov and Samir Ibrahimov received 10 years in prison.

On August 9, the prosecutor asked to reduce the sentence of the first four men to 2 years in prison, and the rest to 5.5 - 7 years of imprisonment.

The Ganja Court of Appeal (the trial took place in the building of the Baku Court of Appeal) appointed the "four" 1 year in prison and released them in connection with the completion of this period in custody. The rest of the sentences were reduced to 4.5 -6 years in prison.

It should be noted that the appeals instance examines the cases of two more groups of persons involved in the "Ganja case" of 15 people and the prosecutor also asked for a mitigation of the sentence for them.

* On July 3, 2018 in Ganja an attempt was made on the then head of the city Elmar Veliyev. A Ganja native Yunis Safarov wounded him and his bodyguard. After that, a protest rally against Veliyev in front of the Ganja administration building was scheduled for July 10 on social networks. On the same day, the MIA reported riots in Ganja, during which two police officers were killed. Following this, mass arrests were carried out among believers and others.

At a meeting in this department, Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov announced on July 31, 2019 that 29 members of an organized criminal group were brought to justice in connection with the attempt on E. Veliyev, and another 11 people were put on the international wanted list.

On the events of July 10, the investigation was completed and 8 criminal cases against 60 people were sent to the courts. The defendants were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. -06D-