18:10, 1 October 2018

Azerbaijani Court tightens regime for a man sentenced in "Nardaran case"

Riots in the village of Nardaran. November 26, 2015. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

The Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) has refused to grant the complaint filed by Djakhad Babakishizade about the decision to transfer him to a prison of higher security.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 25, 2017, Djakhad Babakishizade was sentenced to 14.5 years of imprisonment in the case of riots in the Baku village of Nardaran. In total, 18 people were sentenced to 10-20 years of imprisonment.

Talekh Bagirzade, the leader of the movement "Muslim Unity", and 17 of his supporters were accused of organizing riots in the village of Nardaran after the law enforcement operation in November 2015. Then seven persons were killed, including two policemen.

The BCA has explained its decision by the fact that Djakhad Babakishizade was nine times subjected to disciplinary punishment, stated his mother Rakhil Babakishizade.

A court has the right to toughen the detention regime for prisoners who regularly violate internal rules, explained officials from the PR Department of the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service.

This is not the first time when a believer is sent to the Gobustan prison, said Ogtai Gyulyalyev, the head of the Public Alliance "Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners" and the coordinator of the Centre for the Protection of Political Prisoners. Thus, Movsum Samedov, the leader of the "Islamic Party", was twice placed to the Gobustan prison.

Ogtai Gyulyalyev has clarified that the Centre for the Protection of Political Prisoners recognized as political prisoners the persons sentenced in the Nardaran case, including Djakhad Babakishizade.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 1, 2018 at 03:27 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.