The Supreme Court upheld the verdict on the "Nardaran case-3"

Baku / 17.11.18 / Turan: On November 16, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan held a cassation appeal of convicts in the so-called "Nardaran case-3". The persons involved in this case, including the theologian Zulfugar Mikyilov, were arrested after a special operation in Nardaran in November 2015 and convicted on charges of committing grave crimes for periods ranging from 12 to 17 years. The convicts themselves did not participate in the trial. They were represented by lawyers Akif Aliyev, Zibeyda Sadigova and Shahla Humbatova.

The defense stated the groundlessness of the charges of calling for terror, illegal possession of weapons, an attempted coup d'etat, and others. The lawyers indicated that all the evidence from their defendants had been taken under torture. It was noted that evidence obtained by methods not acceptable by law cannot be considered a basis for a court to confess guilt. According to the lawyers, the Baku serious Crimes Court did not conduct an objective investigation, did not satisfy the defense motion, did not evaluate the evidence, and actually rewrote the text of the indictment into the sentence. The prosecutor, in turn, spoke out against the satisfaction of the complaint.

The panel of judges chaired by Tahir Kazimov rejected the complaint after a short meeting. The lawyers declared their intention to prepare complaints to the European Court of Human Rights.

* The defendants in this case were arrested after a special operation in the village of Nardaran on November 26, 2015, when the police detained the leader of the Muslim Unity movement, Tale Bagirzade, and a group of his associates.

The arrested were accused of participation in the criminal community organized by Bagirzade. They were charged under ten articles of the Criminal Code: terrorism, illegal possession of weapons, an attempt to change the constitutional system by force, resistance to the police, etc.

The defendants pleaded not guilty and told in court about the torture to which they were subjected in the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the IDF.

On December 6, 2017, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced the theologian Zulfugar Mikayilov to 17 years in prison, Ruzi Ismailov and Jabir Aliyev - each to 16 years, Ramil Seyfullayev, Mubariz Ibrahimov - each to 15 years, Elkhan Hasanov - to 14 years, Fahig Allahverdiyev, Mehman Guliyev, Elman Agayev, each to 13 years old, Ali Huseynov, Mehman Mamedov, Eldar Bunyatov, each to 12 years 3 months in prison. Subsequently, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the verdict. -06D--