Trial against Azerbaijan opposition leader continues

We call your attention to the information statement by the Committee to Protect Rights of Ilgar Ibragimoglu:

A trial against Ilgar Ibragimoglu, leading coordinator of the Centre for Protection of Conscience and Religious Freedom (DEVAMM) and Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), continued on March 29. Witnesses of the 15-16 October 2003 developments were questioned during the sitting. And, like during the previous court sitting, no one of the witnesses and the suffered (altogether approximately 200 people) testified against Ilgar Ibragimoglu. However Ibragimoglu's lawyers received information that two policemen were going to furnish false evidence during the next sitting. Otherwise the court will have to bring in a "not guilty" verdict. As the Committee has already reported, the courts are given clear instructions not to bring in "not guilty" verdicts and to pass suspended sentences upon innocent people. A suspended sentence means that the man is declared a criminal, and he or she just has an opportunity not to stay in prison. But a suspended term turns into a jail term after the very first offense. If to take into consideration biased and dependent nature of the country's courts, it is not difficult to guess that putting on probation is nothing else but a means of containment against active public figures and human rights activists. Judges are not able to drag out the trial any longer. The prosecutor is expected to deliver his speech on March 30 or 31. To all appearances, the increased interest on the part of the international community to the infringement of Ilgar Ibragimoglu's rights is making difficulties to the pronouncement of the illegal sentence. But the aspiration to punish the human rights activist, enlightener and democratic public figure is very intense. The Committee to Protect Rights of Ilgar Ibragimoglu appeals to all progressive forces to stir up efforts for the discharge of the innocent man. We believe you will do everything you can so that the innocent man will not be declared a criminal.

Editors note: See also the article "Human rights defenders press for discharge of Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association".