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Witnesses give testimony in trial of radical religious group

25 February 2009 11:17 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ramil Mammadli-APA. The hearing on the case of former officer of Azerbaijani Army Kamran Asadov and 19 others continued in the Military Court of Grave Crimes. APA reports that judge Islam Neymanov presided over the process.
Witnesses gave testimonies in the hearing. Fuzuli Abdullayev, soldier of Azerbaijani Army, who was once friends with Kamran Asadov and other defendants, gave testimony. He said he had been friends with some the defendants before the military service. Later he knew they were wahhabis and cut relations with them. Kamran Asadov objected to the witnessâ€™ testimony saying that growing beard was not the sign of wahhabism, but the law in Islam. He said Muslims were pursued for growing beard in Azerbaijan. Public prosecutor said persons were pursued for their crimes, not for growing beard.
Acquaintances of the defendants â€“ Igor Chernikov, Mahir Mammadov, Gunel Nabiyeva, Gazanfar Isgandarov, Fuad Imanov gave testimonies.
The hearing will continue in the second half of the day.
Kamran Asadov, Bakhtiyar Orujov, Farid Jabbarov, Elshan Mammadov, Kamran Babayev, Samir Mehbaliyev, Terlan Karimov, Edgar Aliyev, Ramil Karimov, Shirvani Babayev, Samir Aliyev, Yashar Maharramov, Orkhan Alizadeh, Hajibala Huseynov, Azer Ibadov, Shahriyar Maharramov, Ramin Jalilov, Rovshan Abdulaliyev, Ilkin Ismayilov and Vugar Aliyev are accused of setting up a radical religious group, attempting to start military struggle, attacking on LUKoil petrol station in Baku, preparing terror attack on the U.S. and UK embassies in Azerbaijan.