Trial in the case of theologian Elshan Mustafaoglu

Today the Baku Serious Crimes Court began preliminary hearing in the case of the Shiite theologian, the former chief of department of the Caucasus Muslims Department Elshan Mustafaoglu accused of treason. According to Turan's lawyer Afgan Mammadov, Mustafaoglu does not admit his guilt of spying for Iran and "hostile activities against Azerbaijan." According to him, the accusations are groundless and have no legal grounds, the lawyer said, adding that a criminal case against Mustafaoglu was launched in December 2014 under the former leadership of the Ministry of National Security. At today's meeting the protection applied for termination of the criminal prosecution Mustafaoglu in the absence of evidence of guilt. However, the application was dismissed. The next meeting will be held on July 19. The court decided to hold further meetings behind closed doors. The lawyer pointed out that Mustafaoglu is a famous person in the society. In the past, he had  religious broadcasts on ITV, and the ANS, and  was the head of the NGO "Spiritual purity". -06B--