Nur Supporters Sentenced to Prison Terms

The Yasamal District Court of Baku on October 7 ended the trial of the followers of the theologian Said Nursi (Nur), arrested in April 2014.

Recall that the five defendants were arrested after a raid on an apartment in Baku on the street Khidir Mustafayev. Of the 40 arrested, five were prosecuted. A year ago, Eldaniz Hajiyev, Ismail Mammadov, Revan Cabzaliyev, Zakaria Mammadov and Shahin Hasanov appeared before the court.

The defendants were charged under articles 167-2.2.1 (distribution of religious literature without permission, committed by prior agreement or an organized criminal group), 168.1 (infringement of the rights of citizens under the pretext of religious rituals) and 168.2 (infringement of the rights of citizens under the pretext of performing religious rites involving minors in the commission of these offenses) of the Criminal Code.

They rejected all the accusations. The defense also stated that the accusations are groundless.

On 7 October, the Yasamal District Court found the defendants guilty completely.

The court sentenced Ismail Mammadov and Zakaria Mammadov (brothers) and Eldaniz Hajiyev to 5 years in prison. Shahin Hasanov received 3.5 years in prison, and Revan Sabzaliev got 1.5 years in prison (he had been charged only under Article 168.2). Turan was told by the lawyer Yalcin Imanov.

According to him, Eldaniz Hajiyev, Ismail Mammadov and Revan Farzaliyev were arrested at first, but then were released under house arrest. Zakaria Mammadov and Shahin Hasanov were under police surveillance. After the verdict they were all taken into custody in the courtroom.

The lawyer said that in this case there is no "evidence of a crime." "The believers did not commit any rituals in this house. They just read the book Risale-i-Nur, discussing the moral foundations of this doctrine," said the lawyer. As regards the involvement of minors, Farzaliyev was visited by two cousins on that day ??and they were just waiting there. The lawyer believes that the rights of the accused guaranteed by the Constitution of Azerbaijan and its articles 47 (freedom of thought and expression), 48 (freedom of conscience), 49 (freedom of assembly) were violated. The lawyer also said that the accused were victims of the political situation. He said that those arrested are followers of the traditional Nur view and are not related to Fethullah Gulen, whose supporters are pursued in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The lawyer noted that Eldaniz Hajiyev, Ismail Mammadov and Revan Farzaliyev were recognized as political prisoners at the beginning of the investigation, when, in respect of them a preventive measure of arrest was chosen. The other two, according to the lawyer, will also be recognized as political prisoners. These people have been prosecuted for their religion, said the lawyer.

The defense plans to appeal the court's decision. -06B—