Religious activist sentenced to six years of imprisonment in Azerbaijan

The Baku Court on Grave Crimes sentenced religious activist Fagan Mamedov to six years of imprisonment after finding him guilty of drug trafficking. Fagan Mamedov called the criminal case fabricated. His advocate stated that the activist’s guilt had not been proven.

Today, the Baku Court on Grave Crimes has pronounced the verdict to Fagan Mamedov. The activist was found guilty under Article 234.4.3 (large-scale drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. The defendant is sentenced to six years of imprisonment. A public prosecutor requested the court to sentence the defendant to seven years of imprisonment, advocate Fariz Namazly told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

According to the advocate, Fagan Mamedov was detained in September 2021. According to the investigators’ version, the police found in the activist’s belongings four parcels of a narcotic substance with a total weight of 8 grams.

“However, the investigation was conducted with numerous violations. For example, a personal search was carried out not at the place of detention, but at a [law enforcement agency]. In general, there is no reliable evidence against Fagan Mamedov in the case, with the exception of his personal confession, given under torture,” the advocate emphasizes.

In his final speech delivered at the trial, the activist denied the allegations, Fariz Namazly said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 7, 2022 at 02:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.