The trial in the case of Yunis Safarov is postponed indefinitely

Baku / 17.02.20 / Turan: On February 17, in the building of the Sabunchu district court of Baku, the process of the case of those accused of attempted assassination of the head of Ganja Elmar Veliyev continued. There are 12 people in the dock, including Yunis Safarov, who personally tried to shoot Veliyev on July 3, 2018.

The case is being examined by the Ganja Serious Crimes Court, chaired by Muhammad Bagirov. At the beginning of the meeting, the defenders requested a trial in Ganja, or in the Baku Serious Crimes Court, since the Sabunchu court’s courtroom is extremely small.

Lawyers also challenged the composition of the counrt, since Judge Natig Aliyev, according to some reports, is a relative of the victim, the former head of Ganja, Elmar Veliyev. On the first issue, the court decided to forward the application to the Ganja Court of Appeal, without responding to the second application, the court announced the completion of the hearing.

*On July 3,  2018 in Ganja an attempt was made on the then head of the city Elmar Veliyev. Ganja native Yunis Safarov wounded him and his bodyguard. After that, on July 10, a protest rally against the head of the city was held in front of the Ganja administration building. On the same day, riots broke out in the city, where two police officers were killed, and after that mass arrests of believers and others began.

In these events, criminal proceedings were instituted against 70 people. The defendants were sentenced to imprisonment from six to 18 years. About 10 people were conditionally released. Cases of two groups of those arrested are pending before the court of appeal. The trial on Safarov and nine others began in January. Two more defendants in this case were liquidated during special operations by security forces. —30C-