Azerbaijani rights defenders are concerned about the killing of suspected extremists

A suspect of preparing a terror act in Northern Azerbaijan was liquidated by law enforcers when rendering armed resistance, the State Security Service (SSS) has reported. Human rights defenders are worried about the increasing number of suspects' deaths without conducting an investigation.

A special operation to prevent a terror act was conducted in the territory of Khachmaz District on August 28. The basis thereof was operative information about "the purchase by Nizami Nadjafov, a member of a radical religious extremist grouping, of weapons, ammunition and explosives." "Nadjafov refused to obey the legitimate demand to surrender; rendered resistance by opening automatic fire," says the today's statement posted on the website of the SSS of Azerbaijan.

The statement adds that "as a result of retaliatory measures," Nadjafov Nizami Adil oglu was killed.

Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Monitoring Centre for Political Prisoners, has drawn attention to the fact that after the events in Ganja this is the sixth case when law enforcers killed people treated as religious radicals.

"In connection with the events in Ganja, law enforcers killed five persons presented as 'religious radicals'. One more person was killed today," Mr Gasanov told in his comment to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Law enforcers should act in such a manner as to take suspects live, while their actions cause concern," the rights defender has added.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 29, 2018 at 07:27 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.