14:25, 18 September 2003

Azerbaijan authorities have released participant of Nardaran events

Khafiz Atakishev, a resident of the Nardaran settlement, Azerbaijan, has been released from the further service of sentence by a court's decision. He was sentenced to 3 years on the charge of his respect to the Nardaran events of June 2002 and spent 1 year and 4 months in prison. The remainder of Atakishev's punishment term has been changed for correctional work.

So, after Atakishev's release, two men sentenced by the Nardaran events stay imprisoned. They are Alikram Aliyev, Islamic Party Chairman sentenced to 6 years, and Jebrail Alizade, the head of the Union of Baku and Baku villages sentenced to 8 years.

Violent clashes between locals and law-enforcement forces took place in Nardaran (Baku's suburb) on June 3, 2002. Fire-arms were used then. One local was killed and several more wounded as a result.