"Muslim Unity" activist arrested in Baku

Shamil Gasanov, a member of the "Muslim Unity" Movement in Azerbaijan, has been arrested for three months on charges of illegal possession of weapons. Activists believe that Gasanov has been prosecuted on far-fetched charges.

Shamil Gasanov was detained on June 22, after he left home. In the evening, communication with him was interrupted; his phone was disconnected. On the following day, it turned out that he was detained by law enforcers, said his wife Vyusalya Gasanova.

"In the afternoon on June 23, about 15 policemen arrived in our home in four cars. They also brought my husband in order to conduct a search. Naturally, they found nothing illegal. And they took several religious books away with them," Ms Gasanova told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her story, on June 24, the Narimanov District Court chose a preventive measure in relation to Shamil Gasanov in the form of an arrest for the period of three months. The activist is charged under Article 228.1 (illegal possession of weapons).

Arzu Abdulla, a rights defender and a member of the Public Committee for Rights Defence of Arrested Islamists, doubts the veracity of the charges against Shamil Gasanov.

"The arrest of Shamil Gasanov shows that repressions against the 'Muslim Unity' don't stop," Ms Abdulla believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2020 at 10:22 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.