Anti-Armenian protesters on trial in Azerbaijan
Turan news agency
11 Aug 04
Baku, 11 August: The trial of Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO)
activists, presided over by judge Famil Nasibov, started at Baku’s
Nasimi district court today.
In the dock is the chairman of the KLO, Akif Nagi, as well as Rovsan
Fatiyev, Ilkin Qurbanov, Mursal Hasanov, Manaf Karimov and Firudin
Mammadov. They were arrested for involvement in an unsanctioned
protest action on 22 June in connection with the visit of two Armenian
officers to Baku.
The charges were read out in court. In particular, the KLO activists
are charged under Articles 221 (hooliganism), 233 (breach of public
order) and 315.2 (putting up resistance to authorities).
The defendants themselves denied the charges, terming them
fabricated. Nagi said that the KLO activists had never broken the law,
since citizens have the right to freedom of assembly under Article 49
of the Constitution of the Azerbaijani Republic.
The defendants also denied the charge that they were attempting to
disrupt a NATO meeting. They underlined that they were simply
protesting against the visit to Baku of Armenian officers. According
to the defendants, the police were the first to use force against the
pickets and their reaction was a response.
The court upheld the defence’s petition to summon to appear in court
the deputy police chief of Baku’s Yasamal district, Cingiz Mammadov,
who personally beat the pickets.