Group accused of riots in Guba sentenced in Azerbaijan

Today, the Khachmaz District Court of Azerbaijan has announced a verdict at the trial of a group of six persons accused of organizing public disorders (riots) in the city of Guba. Four defendants will be imprisoned, and two others were sentenced conditionally.

Judge Anar Ibragimov has sentenced the municipality head Elkhan Aliev to five, and the employee of the local department of the State Property Committee Zakir Mamedov to four years in prison; the fuel station owner Gyulag Agaev will spend 2.5 years in prison; and the employees of the TV channel "Khayal TV" Gonagov and Guliev have been sentenced to three years of probation (conditional punishment).

Mukhtar Alekperov was found guilty under the articles "Destruction of other's property by arson, entailing serious consequences" and "Use of violence dangerous to life and health of a state official" and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.

The defence has disagreed with the verdict and expressed its intention to appeal against it.

The journalists Gonagov and Guliev, who were released in the courtroom, said that they were happy to be at large. However, they said that they did not regard themselves to be guilty, and that they were held in custody for more than one year for no reason.