First group of defendants in the case of Guba events on March 1 faces trial in Azerbaijan

Today, the Guba District Court of Azerbaijan, chaired by Judge Zamin Takhirov, has held a preparatory session on the case of the first group of people, accused of rioting in the city of Guba on March 1, 2012.

The court is trying eight local residents – Farkhad Abdurakhmanov, Samir Khanmedov, Alkhas Danyalov, Samir Talybov Matlab Dadashev, Sarvan Chobanov, Murad Zakirov and Sakhavat Aleskerov.

Let us remind you that on March 1 this year in Guba up to 10,000 people gathered for a rally demanding resignation of the head of the district executive power Rauf Gabibov in connection with a video posted on the Internet, where he made a number of allegations against Guba residents. The protest action turned into riots, during which Gabibov's villa was burned down; and auxiliary buildings of the district administration were damaged.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Idrak Abbasov, an employee of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), who is monitoring the trial, the process took place in an overcrowded hall; most of the audience included family members and relatives of the defendants. The process was also attended by employees of OSCE Baku Office, a regional representative of the Helsinki Civil Assembly and several reporters from local mass media.

In total 25 victims figure in the case, including 23 policemen, the former head of the district and the district administration as such.

The IRFS employee said that all the accused are ordinary citizens and do not work. Therefore, they can not afford hiring independent advocates.

The defendants have already pleaded not guilty and expressed dissatisfaction with the protection of their rights by state-appointed advocates.

After considering the procedural issues, the judge appointed the beginning of the trial on the merits for September 10.