Sentences Read to Fourteen People Accused of Ganja Events

Baku / 04.03.19 / Turan: On March 1, sentences to two groups of people accused of the Ganja events of July 2018 were read out in the Sabunchi District Court of Baku.

The defendants" relatives told Turan the judge of the Ganja Grave Crimes Court, Khagani Samadov, read out the verdicts of six men accused of organizing riots in front of the Ganja Executive Power on July 10, 2018.

The court sentenced Elman Rustamov and Nemat Heydarli to 8 years, Elvin Allahverdiyev, Elvin Nazarov and Vugar Khudiyev to 7 years, and Renat Mammadov to 6 years in prison.

All of them were found guilty under Article 220.1 (organization of riots) of the Criminal Code. Rustamov and Heydarli were also convicted under Article 315.2 (resistance to police).

It is noteworthy that lawsuits on the events in Ganja are held in Baku behind closed doors. The press is not allowed to the hearings.

On the same day, in another trial, sentences to another 8 defendants in the Ganja events were read out in the Sabunchu court.

E. Guliyev was sentenced to 8 years, E. Hajiyev - to 7 years, J. Azizov, G. Nuruzadeh, F. Mirzaliyev, S. Radjabov, and S. Azizov - to 6 years, and R. Nuruzadeh - to 5 years of imprisonment. Cases of several more groups continue to be considered.

* On July 3, 2018, an attempt was made on the then head of the city, Elmar Veliyev, in Ganja. A native of Ganja, Younis Safarov wounded him and his bodyguard.

After that, in social networks, a protest rally against Veliyev"s work style was scheduled for July 10 in front of the Ganja administration.

On the evening of July 10, the Interior Ministry reported on the unrest in Ganja during which two police officers were killed.

Following this, mass arrests among believers began. In total, about 60 people were brought to criminal responsibility. Another 6 people were allegedly killed while providing armed resistance. -06D-