IOLR

On 12 October 2016 the Baku Court on Grave Crimes completed the hearing in the criminal case of Zohrab Mammadov, an Azerbaijani citizen convicted of fighting in the ranks of the “Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar” armed organization in Syria, APA reports.

At the hearing presided over by judge Azer Orujov, attorney Adem Mammadov asked the court to acquit Mammadov due to his health problems.

Then, the court passed a judgment to sentence the accused to 12 years and 6 months in prison.

According to the official information, Zohrab Mammadov, detained on suspicion of being involved in the creation of armed groups, not provided by the legislation of Azerbaijan, and participating in their activities, providing them with ammunition and equipment, holding military exercises outside the territory of Azerbaijan on the grounds of religious hatred and committing other illegal actions, actively fought in the ranks of the “Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar” armed organization and received several injuries.

The Garadagh district court has issued a verdict extending the prison term of former Azerbaijani health minister Ali Insanov by three months, APA reports.

Former health minister Ali Insanov is charged under three articles—234.1 (Illegal purchase or storage without a purpose of selling of narcotics or psychotropic substances in a quantity (amount) exceeding necessary for personal consumption), 315.2 (Application of violence, resistance with application of violence concerning the representative of authority in connection with performance of official duties by him or application of the violence not dangerous to life or health concerning his close relatives, as well as threat of application of such violence, application of the violence dangerous to life or health, concerning persons specified in this article) and 317-2.1 (Threat on application of violence concerning employees of criminal – executive establishments or investigator isolators, and also concerning condemned with a purpose to prevent his correction or from revenge for execution of public duties by him).

Insanov detained in October, 2005 was convicted of a number of serious criminal offences, including embezzlement of public funds and arranging for unlawful privatization of State-owned property assets, and sentenced in April 2007 to 11 years’ imprisonment, with confiscation of property and a three-year ban on holding public office. His prison term is to expire in a few months.