Yunis Safarov explained the reasons and motives for the assassination attempt on Elmar Veliyev

Baku/04.11.20/Turan: At the trial on the "Ganja case" in the Baku Serious Crimes Court on November 3, the main defendant Yunis Safarov, as well as other defendants - Firudin Zeynalov and Jeyhun Gurbanov gave tstimonies.  

Zeynalov asked to remove the handcuffs from him. However, the presiding judge Afgan Hajiyev said that a decision had already been made on this issue at the previous meeting.

Zeynalov said that during the attempt on the life of the former head of Ganja Elmar Veliyev, he was serving a prison sentence in another case and had not known Safarov before. Gurbanov said that they were distant relatives with Safarov and had little contact.

In turn, Safarov himself explained the reason for the assassination attempt on the head of Ganja, drawing a comparison with the war in Karabakh. Azerbaijan has long awaited the help of international organizations to liberate its territories, but did not wait, and therefore resorted to the military path. Likewise, residents of Ganja waited a long time and in vain for the consideration of their complaints by higher state bodies about the despotism of Veliyev. “Without waiting for this, the citizen decides to resort to alternative measures and punish Veliyev himself,” Safarov continued.

Veliyev did lawlessness, committed unjust actions. “I have lived in Moscow for many years, but I followed events in Azerbaijan from the press and the Internet. Since the state authorities did not suppress the illegal actions of Veliyev, I thought about how to put an end to this and decided that those who commit illegal actions should be punished. Because the authorities connived at Veliyev's iniquities, I resorted to this method. I sent a signal to state structures and did it in the name of justice,” Veliyev said. According to him, before committing these actions, he prepared a video for 30-40 minutes. “It's in the case materials. In this video I explained my actions,” he said. The next court session will take place at 14:00 on November 5.

* On July 3, 2018, in Ganja, an attempt was made on the life of the then head of the city Elmar Veliyev. A native of Ganja, Yunis Safarov wounded him and the bodyguard of the head of the city. After that, a protest action in front of the Ganja administration building was scheduled for July 10. On that day, riots broke out in the city, during which two police officers were killed. This was followed by mass arrests of believers and others.

On these events, lawsuits were filed against 70 people. The defendants were sentenced to imprisonment from six to 18 years. About 10 people were released on parole. The trial against Safarov and 11 other persons began in January 2020. —30D-