Protesters in Baku support convicts in "Tartar case"

At a rally in Baku, family members of those killed and convicted in the so-called "Tartar case" have declared the criminal case against their relatives unjustified.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the trial of the "Tartar case" was held behind closed doors. During the inquiry, eight people were tortured to death; four of them were posthumously rehabilitated. The fact of torture was confirmed by the court sentence, said Ogtai Gyulyalyev, a rights defender.

On May 27, in Baku, a protest action in front of Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor's Office was organized by relatives of the figurants in the case about the events in the Tartar District. They chanted that the criminal case against their children had been unjustified, the "Contact.az" reports.

A group of militaries and civilians was arrested in Baku on charges of collaborating with special services of Armenia and preparing acts of sabotage, the Azerbaijani authorities had claimed. The detainees were suspected of "planning large-scale provocations against the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) and dwelling settlements in the Tartar District."

"My son was convicted without proofs ... and I want to meet President Ilham Aliev," the "Contact.az" quotes one of protesters as saying.

"Soldiers were forced by violence to testify against their commanders," the "Turan.az" quotes another protester as saying.