In Azerbaijan, head of Educative Centre "Intellectual Citizen" sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment

In Azerbaijan, Gasan Guseinli, the head of the non-governmental organization (NGO) named "Educative Centre 'Intellectual Citizen'", has been sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment. The verdict has been pronounced by the judge of the Nizami District Court of the city of Ganja (Gandzha), who found Gasan Guseinli guilty to disorderly conduct and illegal possession and carrying of cold steel arms. The defence treats the verdict as groundless and intends to appeal against it.

Let us remind you that 57-year-old Gasan Guseinli was detained in the city of Ganja on March 31.

According to advocate Alaif Gasanov, Gasan Guseinli has denied the charges. The defendant has claimed he is being prosecuted for his active position and the activities of the NGO headed by him.

"The local authorities were permanently subjected Gasan Guseinli and his NGO to pressure. His NGO used to be one of the most active institutions of civil society not only in Ganja, but also throughout the western region of the country," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been told by Alaif Gasanov.

Earlier, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) have stated that Gasan Guseinli had stabbed the arm of Arzu Gakhramanov, a Ganja resident, and wounded him. In his turn, Alaif Gasanov has stated that no damage had been inflicted to the victim's health. "Many democratic countries do not treat an act of hooliganism as a criminal offense. In democratic countries, it is punishable by administrative penalty," Alaif Gasanov has noted.

According to the Monitoring Group of Human Rights Organizations of Azerbaijan, after the arrest of Gasan Guseinli, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has reached 30.