TRIALS IN MARCH 2021
16 March
The individuals accused of funding ISIS have slashed their wrists and begun a hunger strike
Baku Grave Crimes Court
On 16 March the Baku Serious Crimes Court chaired by Judge Sabuhi Huseynov continued the consideration of the trial against 11 persons accused of financing the terrorist organization ISIS (“Tovuz case”). The accused were not taken to court. The reason is the infliction of bodily harm by the defendants at the previous hearing. Their relatives were also not allowed to the trial.
According to family members of the accused, their relatives have been on hunger strike for 14 days, which has caused serious health problems. The defendants deny the charges and demand an acquittal.
The defendants in this case Samir Qurbanov, Aladdin Ibishev, Shahriyar Jabbarov, Aflatun Bayramov, Elgun Ismayilov, Tehran Qasimov, Orkhan Qurbanov, Amin Hasanov, Javid Ahmanov, Yusif Imanov and Babek Mammadli were arrested several years ago.
The trial began in February 2020. However, due to the pandemic, the trial was interrupted for a long time. On 11 February 2021, the trial resumed but on 23 February, at the next hearing, the defendants slashed their wrists and then declared a hunger strike.
30 March
Prosecutor asked to convict Yunis Safarov for life
Yunis Safarov
On March 30, at the trial on the “Ganja case” in the Baku Serious Crimes Court, the state prosecutor made a closing speech. He proposed to sentence the main person involved in the case of Yunis Safarov, accused of the attempt on the life of the former mayor of Ganja Elmar Valiyev, to life imprisonment.
The prosecutor asked the other 11 defendants to impose a sentence of 18-20 years in prison.
Earlier, Safarov explained the reason for the assassination attempt on the head of Ganja by the fact that Valiyev “committed 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 bodies did not suppress the illegal actions of Valiyev, I decided to put an end to this, because those who commit illegal actions should be punished. I sent a signal to the authorities and did it in the name of justice,” Safarov said.