Azeri NGOs call for release of would-be Karabakh guerrillas

Assa-Irada, Baku
9 Nov 04

8 November: Non-governmental organizations continue supporting 21
young men who are facing trial on charges of attempting to form an
illegal armed group. The national NGO forum today appealed to the
Grave Crimes Court in connection with this issue.

It is understandable that the defendants have chosen arms and a
guerilla war as the only way to liberate their homes and the graves
of their ancestors from the Armenian occupation, the appeal reads. It
will be impossible to prevent any attempts to liberate the occupied
territories militarily, unless Armenia ends its aggression and the
Nagornyy Karabakh problem is resolved fairly, the appeal reads. This
should be of a serious concern for the OSCE Minsk Group and its
co-chairs who have pledged to help eliminate the ramifications of
the occupation and who have achieved no result in this so far, the
appeal reads.

The national NGO forum said the above mentioned reasons had urged the
young people to violate Azerbaijan’s laws. It asked the Grave Crimes
Court to take these reasons into consideration.