Protest outside the presidential administration

Baku/03.02.21/Turan: Relatives of Ilkin Suleimanov, accused of murdering an underage girl in Tovuz,   held a protest action again today.

This time they tried to gather in front of the country's presidential administration, protesting against the extension of Suleymanov's pre-trial detention for another 4 months. They believe that I. Suleimanov is innocent, the investigation is conducted biasedly, and the charges have not been proven.

“We want to tell about our misfortune to Mr. President, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva; 700 residents of our village sent a letter to the president, noting that Ilkin was not guilty. They asked to find the real culprits,” said one of the protesters.

The protesters say the case was falsified. “The investigation claims that Ilkin kept the girl locked up for 47 days. But it is impossible to stay in that room even for one day in winter,” said another participant of the action.

From the administration building the protesters went to the General Prosecutor's Office, but were sent to the Investigative Department.

Ilkin Suleimanov, a resident of the village of Dondar Gushchu, Tovuz region, is accused of murdering a 10-year-old fellow villager Narmin Guliyeva, who went missing on November 19, 2019; her burned body was found on January 6, 2020. The investigation established that the girl was raped.

The day before, the court had extended the term of the preliminary arrest by 4 months. However, there is no evidence of Suleimanov's guilt in the crime, his relatives say. –21С-