Statement by Centre for Protection of Conscience and Religious Freedom and IRLA's Azerbaijan Chapter

We call you attention to the statement made by the Centre for Protection of Conscience and Religious Freedom (DEVAMM) and the Azerbaijan Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) on the detention of DEVAMM leading coordinator and Secretary General of the IRLA's Azerbaijan Chapter Ilgar Ibragimoglu.

For more than 5 years the Centre for Protection of Conscience and Religious Freedom (DEVAMM) and later the Azerbaijan Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) have been struggling for religious rights of the believers in Azerbaijan. But evidently the vigorous activity of DEVAMM and the IRLA in legal civil society building as well as their struggle for human rights was disliked by certain reactionary circles and caused their strong discontent. So, some pro-governmental mass media have been conducting a slanderous campaign against DEVAMM leading coordinator and Secretary General of the IRLA's Azerbaijan Chapter Ilgar Ibragimoglu for several months already. In particular, the mass media broadcasted the information that Ilgar Ibragimoglu was ostensibly internationally wanted and was hiding from the law-enforcement bodies. It is worth noting that with all that going on, he was not officially addressed. These accusations proved to be absurd also by the fact that in the period when the reactionary mass media were declaring him to be wanted, he crossed the state border officially and freely twice to participate in the international human rights conference arranged by the OSCE in Georgia. Since November 3, 2003, Mr. Ibragimoglu has been constantly staying in Baku and conducting active public work, which was covered in press.

And only on November 28, 2003 Ilgar Ibragimoglu received a letter addressed to him by the investigation department on grave crimes under the Prosecutor General's Office. The letter was signed by criminal prosecutor Akhadov. In the letter he asked Ilgar Ibragimoglu to come to the Prosecutor's Office on December 1, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., as a witness in case No 80308.

On December 1, 2003, Mr. Ibragimoglu along with his lawyer Elton Guliyev came to the Prosecutor's Office to give evidence. Despite the fact that Ilgar Ibragimoglu had been invited to the Prosecutor's Office as a witness, he was detained as suspected. Practice shows that such detentions are usually accompanied with gross legal procedure breaches and with an early court order which ends in arrest.

DEVAMM and the IRLA's Azerbaijan Chapter express deep gratitude to all international and local democratic structures, diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan for their support in the struggle for restoration of human rights, particularly of freedom of conscience and religion. We also hope for your further support to prevent repressions against Ilgar Ibragimoglu.

December 2, 2003