Former Akhund of the Haji Javad mosque, Shiite theologian Ahliman Rustamov was detained today by employees of the State Security Service (SSS).
His son Gasim Rustamov told Turan that his father was taken from home. At the same time, a search was carried out in the apartment and religious literature was confiscated. The family of the theologian was not explained the reason for the detention.
Several Shiite theologians have been detained in recent days. However, only one of them, Sardar Babayev, was formally charged under the Article 274. (high treason) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
Local observers explain the detention of believers by the recent aggravated relations between Azerbaijan and Iran. All detainees are considered pro-Iranian.