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COURT ANNOUNCED HARSH VERDICTS ON LEADERS OF AZERBAIJANI ISLAMIC PARTY
Azerireport
October 7, 2011
BAKU. October 7, 2011: Today, Baku Court for Heavy Crimes announced
verdicts against the leadership of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan.
Seven people standing the trial received a total of 66 years and
half in prison for storing an illegal stocks of weapons, "making
anti-state statements," spreading religious hatred and hostility
through making public statements at Sahar TV (an Iranian TV channel in
Azeri broadcasted from Iran to Azerbaijan for the propaganda purposes)
and scores of other amorphous accusations. As the Court announced
the verdict against the leaders of the Islamic Party, its supporters
clashed with the police outside the court-hall. Some of the protesters
were injured as a result of this confrontation. Click here for video
The local media speculates that the trial over the leadership of the
Azerbaijani Islamic Party (AIP) has nothing to do with the formal
accusations and has a lot to do with the statement of the Islamic
party chairman Movsum Samadov on January 2 this year, in which he
denounced president Ilham Aliyev, called him a godless gambler, and
called on the Azeri people to struggle against him. The presiding
judge, when announcing the verdict, quoted from Movsum Samadov's
January 2 speech: "Movsum Samadov quoted prophet Muhammad saying
"Whenever your religion faces a danger, forsake your life and save
your religion!" Isn't it that day today? Therefore the Azerbaijani
people should rise on this issue and be on the alert. If some people
encroach upon our religion, our conscious, our afterlife, we will raise
our hands on their present life. Today, the Azerbaijani people should
put an end to the government of the evil regime and its Yezidi faced
(hinting at the Armenian Yezidi Kurdish ancestry of Ilham Aliyev -
ed.) leader." Click here for Movsum Samadov's January 2 Speech
Movsum Samadov's speech came as a response to the decision of the
Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan to ban hijab (Muslim headcover
for women) in secondary and high schools of the country. Shortly
after Movsum Samadov's speech was circulated through Youtube, police
announced to have found weapons from the house of Movsum Samadov's
relatives. Azerbaijan Islamic Party maintained that the police
had planted those weapons there and that the party leader and his
relatives were punished for Samadov's January 2 speech against the
president Aliyev.
The Court announced the verdict against the following people sentencing
them to the following jail terms: AIP chairman Movsum Samadov - 12
years; AIP deputy chairman Vagif Abdullayev - 11 years; chairman of
Astara regional branch of AIP Rufulla Akhundzade - 11 years and half;
Movsum Samadov's brother in law Firdovsi Mammadrzayev - 10 years;
Movsum Samadov's cousin Dayanat Samadov - 10 years; Masalli cleric
Feramiz Abbasov - 11 years. Theologist Zulfugar Mikayilzade was not
sent to jail and was sentenced to 11 years in parole (it is called
conditional sentence in Azerbaijani criminal law)
Azerireport
October 7, 2011
BAKU. October 7, 2011: Today, Baku Court for Heavy Crimes announced
verdicts against the leadership of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan.
Seven people standing the trial received a total of 66 years and
half in prison for storing an illegal stocks of weapons, "making
anti-state statements," spreading religious hatred and hostility
through making public statements at Sahar TV (an Iranian TV channel in
Azeri broadcasted from Iran to Azerbaijan for the propaganda purposes)
and scores of other amorphous accusations. As the Court announced
the verdict against the leaders of the Islamic Party, its supporters
clashed with the police outside the court-hall. Some of the protesters
were injured as a result of this confrontation. Click here for video
The local media speculates that the trial over the leadership of the
Azerbaijani Islamic Party (AIP) has nothing to do with the formal
accusations and has a lot to do with the statement of the Islamic
party chairman Movsum Samadov on January 2 this year, in which he
denounced president Ilham Aliyev, called him a godless gambler, and
called on the Azeri people to struggle against him. The presiding
judge, when announcing the verdict, quoted from Movsum Samadov's
January 2 speech: "Movsum Samadov quoted prophet Muhammad saying
"Whenever your religion faces a danger, forsake your life and save
your religion!" Isn't it that day today? Therefore the Azerbaijani
people should rise on this issue and be on the alert. If some people
encroach upon our religion, our conscious, our afterlife, we will raise
our hands on their present life. Today, the Azerbaijani people should
put an end to the government of the evil regime and its Yezidi faced
(hinting at the Armenian Yezidi Kurdish ancestry of Ilham Aliyev -
ed.) leader." Click here for Movsum Samadov's January 2 Speech
Movsum Samadov's speech came as a response to the decision of the
Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan to ban hijab (Muslim headcover
for women) in secondary and high schools of the country. Shortly
after Movsum Samadov's speech was circulated through Youtube, police
announced to have found weapons from the house of Movsum Samadov's
relatives. Azerbaijan Islamic Party maintained that the police
had planted those weapons there and that the party leader and his
relatives were punished for Samadov's January 2 speech against the
president Aliyev.
The Court announced the verdict against the following people sentencing
them to the following jail terms: AIP chairman Movsum Samadov - 12
years; AIP deputy chairman Vagif Abdullayev - 11 years; chairman of
Astara regional branch of AIP Rufulla Akhundzade - 11 years and half;
Movsum Samadov's brother in law Firdovsi Mammadrzayev - 10 years;
Movsum Samadov's cousin Dayanat Samadov - 10 years; Masalli cleric
Feramiz Abbasov - 11 years. Theologist Zulfugar Mikayilzade was not
sent to jail and was sentenced to 11 years in parole (it is called
conditional sentence in Azerbaijani criminal law)