Institute for Peace and Democracy: trial of the leader of Talyshes in Azerbaijan is absurd

The Institute for Peace and Democracy is emphasizing the absurdity of litigation against Novruzali Mamedov, 67, a linguist, head of one of the divisions at the Institute of Linguistics of the Academy of Sciences, founder and editor-in-chief of the only newspaper in Azerbaijan in the Talysh language "Talyshi Sado", and Elman Guliev, executive secretary of the newspaper, accused of high treason.

The human rights organization asserts that already at the preliminary judicial hearing the judge made a decision, not justified by the law to hold the process in camera. The press release signed by Leila Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, runs that the court sessions are held once a week and last for 2-3 hours.

It is noted that these court sessions have confirmed and strengthened the absurdity of the bill of particulars. Thus, accusations were announced in the courtroom about inadmissibility of publications in the pages of the newspaper of debatable materials on the Talysh origin of the famous poet Nizami, on promotion of the Talysh language and culture, and about appearance of Turkic tribes in Azerbaijan in the 3rd century AD.