On September 8, Baku Grave Crimes Court chaired by Judge Alovsat Abbasov continued the hearing on the criminal case of Muslim Union Movement’s Chairman Taleh Bagirzade, Jabrayilov Rasim Mirzababa oglu, Mustafayev Zakir Tapdig oglu, Jabbarov Jabbar Amirkhan oglu, Babakishizade Jahad Babahuseyn oglu, Abdulaliyev Shamil Adil oglu, Ismayilov Agil Azer oglu, Yariyev Ramin Maharram oglu, Guliyev Abbas Abdulrahman oglu, Khudaverdiyev Ibrahim Mammad oglu, Ismayilov Etibar Rasim oglu, Asgarov Bahruz Rahib oglu, Nuriyev Ali Hasrat oglu, Valiyev Alibala Javad oglu, Balayev Farhad Nasraddin oglu and Tagizade Abbas Hafiz oglu, who are charged under Articles 120.2.1 (homicide, committed by a group of people, a group of people on preliminary arrangement, an organised group or a criminal community/organisation), 120.2.3 (homicide, of the victim or his close relatives in connection to performance of service or public duty by the victim), 120.2.4 (homicide, committed with special cruelty or in publicly dangerous way), 120.2.7 (homicide, of two or more persons), 120.2.12 (homicide, with the motive of national, racial, religious hatred or enmity), 29 (attempted crime), 214.2.1 (terrorism, committed by a group of people on preliminary arrangement, an organised group or a criminal community/organisation), 28 (preparing to commit a crime), 214.2.3 (terrorism, committed with use of fire-arms or objects used as a weapon), 214-2 (open calls for terrorism), 220.2 (incitement to active insubordination to lawful demands of a representative of authority and to mass disorders, as well as to violence against citizens), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, selling, storage, transportation or carrying of fire-arms, their accessories, supplies and explosives, committed by an organised group), 228.4 (illegal acquisition, selling or carrying of a gas weapon, cold steel, as well as a throwing weapon, except for places where carrying of a cold steel is an accessory of a national suit or is connected to hunting), 278 (violent seizure or retention of power), 279 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided for by the legislation), 281.2 (public appeals directed against the state, committed repeatedly or by a group of people), 283.2.3 (instigation of national, racial, social or religious hatred and hostility, committed by an organised group), and 315.2 (resistance to or use of violence against a representative of authority) of the Criminal Code, Huseynov Abbas Mammadbagir oglu, who is also charged under Article 233 (organisation of actions violating public order or active participation in such actions) of the Criminal Code in addition to the above charges, and APFP Deputy Chairman Fuad Gahramanli, who is charged under Articles 220.2 (making calls for active insubordination to lawful requirements of representatives of authority and for mass disorders, as well as violence against citizens), 281.2 (public appeals directed against the state, committed repeatedly or by a group of people) and 283.2.1 (instigation of national, racial, social or religious hatred and hostility, by using or threatening to use violence) of the Criminal Code. An armed incident occurred between a group of believers and policemen in Nardaran settlement of Baku on November 26, 2015, during an operation conducted by the police. According to official reports, the shootout resulted in the death of six, including two police officers. Taleh Bagirzade, the leader of the Muslim Union Movement, and several believers were detained as part of the operation. A criminal case has been launched on the fact and is investigated by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan Republic. Fuad Gahramanli was arrested on December 8, 2015. His lawyer Yalchin Imanov said that Fuad Gahramanli was arrested due to his Facebook posts and his case was merged with the criminal case of the people arrested over the Nardaran incidents.
At the hearing, defendant Abbas Huseynov said they had been issued a reprimand by the management of Baku Detention Centre for hurling shoes at Shahlar Jafarov, a witness and victim in the case, at yesterday’s hearing.
Testimony and cross-examination of victims:
Operations officer of Main Organised Crime Department (MOCD) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vugar Isgandarov, who is a witness and victim in the case, testified at the hearing. “A meeting was held on the basis of the information received by the Department on 26 November 2015. According to the information, Taleh Bagirzade had gathered several people around him and they were planning a coup. An operation team was formed and I was also included in that team. We arrived in front of the house of a person by name Abulfaz in Nardaran at or a few minutes past 12 pm. We were told to wait for 15 minutes. Then we entered in. As soon as we moved in, an explosion was heard. I was at a loss as I am also a human being. A gunfight ensued and lasted for 15 minutes. There was a hurry-scurry inside the house. One of them was running at me. He had a knife and a metal object in his hand. I was forced to neutralise him. I pinned him to the ground. I am working for the police for 29 years and we have martial arts training twice a week. The person that I neutralised was a weak one. I pinned him to the ground and found a knife and brass knuckles on him and a grenade in a rear pocket of his trousers. His name was Ali,” Vugar Isgandarov said.
Answering the public prosecutor’s questions, he said he had seen police officer Hikmat Aliyev neutralise Ibrahim Khudaverdiyev. He noted that they had arranged the taking of the wounded to the hospital in an ambulance and had taken the rest of them to the Department and handed them over to Karim Alimardanov on the fifth floor.
“Being an employee of the Economic Section, on what grounds did you participate in a special operation concerning terrorism and coup,” asked lawyer Yalchin Imanov, adding that, “Everyone has their own field of activity.” “It was so ordered and I gladly participated. I have fulfilled my service duties,” the victim replied.
The lawyer quoted the victim as saying that he had not inflicted any injury on Ali Nuriyev when neutralising him, and then added: “According to the expert opinion, there are traces of injury on his [Ali Nuriyev’s] body. A bruise under his right eye, a bruise on lower lip, and right shoulder-joint fractures were detected. How, then, did these injuries on Ali Nuriyev’s body emerge?” Isgandarov replied that he had not injured Ali Nuriyev, but speculated that the injuries might have been sustained when Nuriyev fell down while being neutralised.
Being asked by the lawyer what damage he had suffered, Isgandarov said: “I was shocked by the incident. It was a serious incident. We had casualties, who were our fellow Azerbaijanis.”
Operations officer of Main Organised Crime Department (MOCD) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Muslum Tarverdiyev, who is a witness and victim in the case, testified after the break. “We waited for 10-15 minutes after arriving at Nardaran. The team leader said they were performing salat (Muslim prayer). Seven or eight colleagues entered the yard before me. The sound of an explosion came from there. I captured Shamil in the yard. At that moment, our colleague Kanan Heybatov neutralised Bahruz Asgarov in the yard. Bahruz was wearing brass knuckles. I left Shamil with Kanan and went in to help our colleagues. Shamil was wounded in the leg. But I had not opened a fire. We called an ambulance to take the wounded to the hospital. We sent Bahruz Asgarov and Shamil Abdulaliyev to the hospital in the ambulance,” Muslum Tarverdiyev said.
The court’s next hearing was set for September 14, 10 am.