Public organizations criticize repression against believers

Baku / 08.01.19 / Turan: Recently, repression and injustice against believers in Azerbaijan have passed all limits, reads the joint statement of the Union "For the Freedom of Political Prisoners", the Association of Intellectual of Azerbaijan and the "Committee to Protect Islamist Prisoners." It is noted that in 2018, the court sentenced in various cases religious figures and activists to a total of 600 years in prison, which indicates bringing the situation to a critical point.

"But even those sentenced to 10,15 and 20 years in prison are tortured in prison," the statement said.

Thus, pressure continues in the close Gobustan prison against the leader of the Muslim Unity Movement, Thale Bagirzade. He is periodically attempted to be drawn into various provocations, subjected to physical and moral torture.

"The inhuman attitude towards Abulfaz Bunyadov, who in the course of the Nardaran operation in 2015, received gunshot wounds after his arrest, defies no explanation.

Despite the loss of ability to move independently, the court sentenced him to a long term of imprisonment. Today, the paralyzed Bunyadov faces face to face with death," the statement said.

The conditions of detention of the leader of the Islamic Party, Movsum Samedov, convicted to 12 years of imprisonment, have been worsened for performing namaz in the barracks.

Believers make up almost half of the list of political prisoners - 77 out of 160. They are divided into categories such as "hijab prisoners", "namaz prisoners", etc.

The authors of the statement strongly protest injustice, lawlessness and lawlessness and call on the authorities to put an end to inhuman treatment.

"We demand freedom for all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. We want to live in Azerbaijan without political prisoners. We believe that sooner or later Divine justice will prevail!" the statement concludes. -06D--