Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Islam in by Arif Yunusov Azerbaijan: Sumgayit Becomes Font of Syria-Bound Jihadists. There are few outward signs to indicate the Azerbaijani city of Sumgayit, a Soviet-era hub for the petro-chemical industry, is a seedbed of Islamic militancy. Shops and restaurants sell alcohol, and residents dress casually. But, according to police, this smokestack city of 400,000, some 35 kilometers outside of the capital, , is a major source of Azerbaijani Muslims who go to fight, and often die, in Syria's civil war. Thirty-six-year-old Sumgayit resident Rasul (last name withheld at his request), knows firsthand the reality of Sumgayit's reputation. In 2013, his younger brother, Zaur, then 32, was killed along with five other people during a Syrian army attack on rebels near Aleppo. News of Zaur's death reached Rasul via an Azerbaijani TV report, which showed his ID card and identified him as the commander of a group of international mercenaries. Still struggling to make sense of it all, Rasul termed Zaur's actions "wrong." "Zaur worked in a state-owned electricity company in Sumgayit, never had problems with the police," he said, sitting in his poorly furnished apartment in a Sumgayit high-rise. "I would never suspect that he had joined any radical religious group." His brother, Rasul said, began observing the Islamic prayer ritual in 2009. In late 2012, he disappeared. "He took some personal belongings and left. Even his wife did not know where he was. We asked for the police to help, but, after some time, he called me and asked not to worry and said that he is working in ," Rasul recounted. These days, along with his own two children, Rasul, who runs a small retail business, looks after the three sons of his slain brother. He told EurasiaNet.org that he has experienced problems with Azerbaijani authorities because of his brother's actions in Syria, but declined to elaborate. No precise data exists for the number of who have fought, or are still fighting in Syria, most often with Islamic rebels against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Citing secondhand sources, local media claim the number of militants in Syria is anywhere from 200 to 400, with more than 100 killed in action. With more frequent press coverage of Azerbaijani citizens allegedly participating in the Syrian conflict, police are now paying closer attention to this trend. In the past five years, "about 40" Sumgayit residents have left Azerbaijan for Syria and Afghanistan, and almost half of them have been killed, according to a survey of Azerbaijani police departments by the local news agency Vesti.az. Another 230 city residents are "under police control," or being watched, as potential mercenaries. Out of 40 police departments queried by Vesti.az across the country, Sumgayit's numbers were the highest, in terms of the militant ratio to the general population. The sources for the police information were not specified. Sumgayit recently has emerged as a center for Salafism, a form of Sunni Islam that advocates a return to Islam's earliest practices. In late 2013, an armed clash between alleged Salafis and a group of Salafi dissidents called Kharidjis left four people wounded and 16 detained. Arif Yunusov, a Baku-based author of several books on the role of disputes the claim that Sumgayit sends the most Islamic radicals to fight in Syria. Individuals "from various cities and regions" in Azerbaijan make up the roster, he commented in a late April interview done shortly before he was detained by authorities and hospitalized because of a heart condition. Towns in northern Azerbaijan near the border with 's Dagestan, a region long troubled by Islamic militancy, also are a frequent source of Syria-bound jihadists, according to police information given to the Azerbaijani news site Vesti.az. What makes Sumgayit stand out is its community of Kharidjis, who, contrary to other Azerbaijani Salafis, "believe that they should not obey secular rules and must participate in jihad worldwide," according to Yunusov. Kharidjis recruit candidates via local mosques and teahouses. The city's demographics play a role, too, he continued. Built in the late 1940s, Sumgayit long ranked as a city of migrant, relatively uneducated blue-collar workers. It did not have a mosque until after the collapse of the . But at that point, other upheavals came into play - the closure of many of the city's industrial plants and, amid the war with Armenia over the Nagorno- territory, Sumgayit's transformation into a high-tension hub for refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. "All these factors created a kind of vacuum which was successfully used by religious radicals," Yunusov said. Meanwhile, not only men, but also women from Sumgayit are being encouraged to go to Syria, locals and media report. In April, anonymous leaflets appeared throughout the city urging females to conduct "marriage jihad" (jihad al nikah) - provide sexual services to mujahidin -- for entrance into heaven. Police since have collected the leaflets, which were dismissed by one Baku-based Salafi imam as "a provocation against those fighting in Syria." Other than heightened police surveillance, official measures to stop the outflow of would-be jihadists seem limited to stiffer penalties for fighting as a mercenary. In March, prison terms for such activities were nearly doubled to five to 11 years, while those who recruit or sponsor mercenaries face a nine to 15-year jail sentence. The punishments have had one effect - making those who have waged jihad in Syria keep a low profile. Rumors circulate in Sumgayit about supposed "mujahidin" who have returned home after fighting in Syria, but none could be identified and asked to comment on their experiences. Forum 18. Three groups of followers of the approach to Islam of Said Nursi have been raided by police in Azerbaijan since the beginning of 2010. "Officers with automatic weapons raid our meetings as if we are terrorists," a Nursi follower complained to Forum 18 News Service. "But what troubles me the most is that when our books are confiscated they say they will check them and return them – yet they never do." Also, three members of one of the mosques forcibly closed in 2009 have been fined, in apparent retaliation for a large-scale commemoration of Ashura in December. Arif Yunusov of the Baku-based Institute of Peace and Democracy told Forum 18 that this represents an official attempt to crack down on the last uncontrolled sector of the population. "First they [the authorities] moved against opposition political parties, then against non-governmental organisations and journalists. Now all that is left are religious movements." He noted that "religion provides an umbrella for protest. So they have moved against groups they say are conducting unsanctioned meetings." Three groups of followers of the approach to Islam of the late Turkish theologian Said Nursi have been raided by police in different parts of Azerbaijan since the beginning of January, a Nursi follower who asked not to be named has told Forum 18 News Service. Also, three members of one of the mosques forcibly closed in 2009 have been fined, in apparent retaliation for a large-scale commemoration of Ashura on 27 December. The crackdown is part of continuing state actions against Muslims and those of other faiths exercising their freedom of religion or belief outside state control. Raids "as if we are terrorists" "Officers with automatic weapons raid our meetings as if we are terrorists," the Nursi follower complained to Forum 18 on 26 January. "But what troubles me the most is that when our books are confiscated they say they will check them and return them – yet they never do." He said that in the past three years, since police first started confiscating such books, none have ever been returned. The Nursi follower estimated that more than 8,000 of their books have been confiscated since 2007. Azerbaijan imposes severe censorship on religious literature (see F18News 24 February 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1259). The Nursi follower added that since 1995 more than 70 Nursi followers have been imprisoned for periods of up to 15 days (see eg. F18News 14 September 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1348). Elchin Askerov, Deputy Chair of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations, defended the raids on Nursi followers and other religious groups in recent months including Jehovah's Witnesses (see eg. F18News 15 December 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php? article_id=1387). "They hold religious meetings without registration in private flats," he told Forum 18 from the capital Baku on 21 January. Asked what was wrong with that, he responded: "This is not allowed under our Religion Law." Azerbaijan in 2009, against international human rights law, significantly increased "legal" restrictions on freedom of religion or belief for people of all faiths and none, and also passed laws specifically targeting Muslims exercising their freedom of religion or belief (see F18News 22 July 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1330). Asked what would happen if a local religious community successfully challenged a punishment for unregistered religious activity at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, Askerov of the State Committee told Forum 18: "If the European Court rules that prohibiting unregistered religious activity is illegal, we will change the Law." Askerov defended the compulsory prior religious censorship, which the State Committee operates under the Religion Law. Asked how this matches the statement in 1998 by the late President Heidar Aliev that censorship had been abolished, Askerov responded: "He was talking only about the press." Askerov told Forum 18 he did not think the works of Said Nursi are banned in Azerbaijan, but was not sure. "Maybe they haven't applied for permission for them or maybe the State Committee has not put them in the list of approved religious works." He referred Forum 18 to the Expert Analysis Department of the State Committee, but the head of the Department, Jeyhun Mamedov, was not in his office on 26 January. Latest police moves against Nursi followers. The first move in 2010 against Nursi followers was when police raided the home of Naila Ahmedova in the northern town of Khachmaz [Xacmaz] on 18 January. The Nursi follower told Forum 18 that she had just returned from the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. "Her relatives and friends came to visit her on her return – this is our tradition here," he pointed out. However, police came and raided the gathering. "She is being punished as though she is a terrorist," he complained. He said religious books were confiscated and she faces punishment under the Code of Administrative Offences, but has not yet been tried. Forum 18 was unable to reach anyone at Khachmaz District Police on 26 January. However, the Deputy Police Chief Misir Imamaliev confirmed the raid to the Azeri Press Agency on 18 January and said "operational measures" were continuing. Imamaliev also told the agency that police had launched a separate raid on another local Nursi follower. The home of Valida Gadirova had been raided in the village of Rahimoba on 17 January and "banned" religious books had been confiscated. He said she had been illegally teaching religion to children. The telephone of Eynulla Nurullaev, the official of the State Committee in the northern town of Quba responsible for religious affairs in northern Azerbaijan, went unanswered each time Forum 18 called on 21 and 26 January. The next move against Nursi followers came late at night on 22 January, when a police night patrol in the central region of Ujar stopped a car carrying three Nursi followers. "The three were returning home and the police were checking every vehicle," the Nursi follower told Forum 18. He said when police found Nursi books in the car they confiscated them and detained the three men. They were not freed until the following day. He lamented that once again the books were not returned. Then on 24 January came the biggest raid so far this year, when more than 20 police officers raided a private home in the industrial city of Sumgait north of Baku. Nursi followers had gathered in Ilgar Pashaev's home to study Said Nursi's writings. All 76 were detained and taken to Sumgait city police station, the Nursi follower told Forum 18. He said police pressured them to write statements about why they were present and what they were doing. All but Pashaev's brother Gadir Pashaev were then freed. Gadir Pashaev was brought to trial the following day under Article 299 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which punishes "violation of the procedure for religious activity". He was fined 15 Manats (110 Norwegian Kroner, 13 Euros or 19 US Dollars), even though the penalty for private individuals found guilty under this Article is 100 to 300 Manats. "This wasn't the correct penalty – they did it just for show." Punishments for "illegal" religious activity under Article 299 were increased dramatically under harsh new legal amendments in spring 2009 (see F18News 3 June 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1305). The Nursi follower Forum 18 spoke to insisted that the penalties imposed under Article 299 – such as for unregistered religious activity or religious activity away from a registered religious organisation's legal address – violate religious freedom commitments in Azerbaijan's Constitution. The telephones of the head of Sumgait city police and the duty officers were engaged or went unanswered whenever Forum 18 called on 26 January. Long-running campaign against Nursi followers. The latest official harassment of groups gathering to study the writings of Said Nursi follows many similar incidents in 2009. In the north-western Gakh [Qax] District in July, three Nursi followers were detained and punished the Code of Administrative Offences. Later in July, police in Gyanja [Gäncä], Azerbaijan's second city, detained 12 adherents after raiding a meeting in a private home. Three of them were then punished under the Code of Administrative Offences. In August police in Yevlakh [Yevlax] detained three adherents, who were each sentenced to between five and seven days' imprisonment (see F18News 14 September 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1348). "First they moved against opposition political parties.." A Baku-based analyst pointed out to Forum 18 that under government moves against the Nursi followers, "ordinary believers are suffering". Arif Yunusov of the Institute of Peace and Democracy, who has written widely on Islam in Azerbaijan, says the harassment of the Nursi movement, as well as of other Muslim movements, represents an official attempt to crack down on the last uncontrolled sector of the population. "In Azerbaijan the government is becoming more authoritarian," he told Forum 18 from Baku on 26 January. "First they moved against opposition political parties, then against non-governmental organisations and journalists. Now all that is left are religious movements." Yunusov likens the position in Azerbaijan to that of Uzbekistan, where all independent organisations have been crushed. "Since 2007 here, Islam has filled the vacuum and mosques have started to become political clubs. Religion provides an umbrella for protest. So they have moved against groups they say are conducting unsanctioned meetings." He believes Sunni mosques and movements (such as followers of Nursi'ds approach) are the most active, which is why Sunni mosques have borne the brunt of state-ordered mosque closures in recent months. Leaders of closed Baku mosque punished. Three members of one of the mosques forcibly closed in 2009 have been fined in apparent retaliation for going ahead with a large-scale commemoration of Ashura on 27 December. Tofik Razizade, the leader of the community of the Fatima Zahra mosque in the Yeni Guneshli district of Baku, told Forum 18 that he and two colleagues were fined on 24 January. The Fatima Zahra mosque, the only mosque for a residential district of some 70,000 people, serves both Shias and Sunnis. Although unfinished, the mosque began to be used for regular worship in 2000. Despite being given the land by Baku's mayor, the mosque community was shocked in 2009 to be faced with a suit by the Surakhani District authorities to oust them from the site and recover the building. Police forcibly closed the mosque in summer 2009, provoking protests by community members. Other communities including the Georgian Orthodox Church have also had access to their places of worship forcibly restricted by the state (see F18News 22 December 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php? article_id=1390). Razizade of the Fatima Zahra mosque told Forum 18 from Baku on 26 January 2010 that ahead of Ashura, the mosque community wrote to the local administration asking for help in allowing them to use the mosque for the commemoration. They received no reply. However, he said that when the authorities saw the crowd of some 4,000 people who arrived on 27 December, "they had to let us in". He said police told them they could pray the namaz in the mosque and would then have to leave. On 23 January, police detained six mosque members, including Razizade. Three were freed the next day without charge but the other three – Haji Husein and Agshin Fateh as well as Razizade – were brought to court. They were accused of violating Article 296 ("petty hooliganism") and Article 310 ("wilful failure to obey the demands of the law or the police") of the Code of Administrative Offences. Razizade was fined 50 Manats (363 Norwegian Kroner, 44 Euros or 62 US Dollars). The other two were each fined 20 Manats. "We will appeal against the fines, but what will this achieve?" Razizade commented to Forum 18. "We'll have to pay, even though we are innocent of the charges." Forum 18 was unable to reach anyone at the Surakhani District Police on 26 January. Razizade insists that the mosque community will continue to press for the mosque to be returned to the community and allowed to reopen for worship. "Although the lower courts have ruled that the mosque should be demolished, we are going to appeal to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights." Defending the closures of the mosques in Azerbaijan in 2009 is Askerov of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations. "Each mosque had its own specific reason for closure," he insisted to Forum 18. He stressed that his Committee was not involved in the decisions. "The mosques deal with their local administrations." However, Askerov claimed to be optimistic that the Fatima Zahra Mosque will be able to regain its building through the courts. However, he declined to explain to Forum 18 the reason for his optimism, given the court rulings against them and the continuing pressure on the community. Use of mercenaries by Azerbaijan in the war against Artsakh. During its military aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Azerbaijan, in violation of norms of international law incorporated mercenaries and international terrorist groups into the 1 . From 1992 to 1994, thousands of mercenaries, mostly Chechens and Afghans, were fighting on the side of Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan started building relations with Chechnya in the beginning of 1990s, when the leader of the “Popular Front of Azerbaijan” Abulfaz Elchibey visited Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, and established friendly ties with General Dzhokhar Dudayev 2 . In April 1992, the delegation of Muslim religious leaders of Azerbaijan visited Chechnya. According to several sources, representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan were also secretly included in the named delegation. Apart from the discussion of procedural matters (building relations between the two states and peoples, joining efforts aimed at Islamic revival etc.), the issue of military cooperation was also touched upon during the bilateral meetings. In particular, the possibility of participation of Chechen mercenaries in hostilities against Nagorno Karabakh was discussed in return for Azerbaijan’s consent to use its territory for arms supplies to Chechnya 3 . The first group of Chechen mercenaries that arrived in Azerbaijan was headed by field commander Shamil Basayev, who later organized a series of violent terrorist attacks across Russian Federation and was included in the UN, US Department of State and European Union lists of designated terrorist actors. By July 1992, there were already around 300 Chechen militants fighting against Karabakh as part of the Azerbaijani forces 4 . After several months of fighting against the NKR Defense Army most of the Chechen detachments, having suffered heavy losses and leaving behind captives, left the battle-fields and returned to Chechnya. At the same time, representatives of Chechnya arrived in to conduct negotiations aimed at releasing captive Chechen fighters, which resulted in an agreement to extradite the prisoners. However, the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Chechnya did not end with that, rather it developed further, particularly in the field of arms trade. 5 Azerbaijan became a transit country for supplying weapons and material to Chechen militants. 6. The impunity of Azerbaijan's first attempt to use mercenaries inspired Azerbaijani authorities to engage new groups, this time from among Afghan militants. 7. In the summer of 1993, when Azerbaijani army was suffering serious military setbacks on the Karabakh frontline, Baku turned to Afghan authorities for support; seeking to engage Afghan mujahideen in hostilities against Nagorno Karabakh self-defense forces. In July 1993, Deputy Minister of the Interior of Azerbaijan arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where he had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Afghanistan, the leader of the party “Hizb i Islami” (Islamic Party) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to negotiate on sending Afghan militants to Azerbaijan. 8. According to several sources, in different periods of 1993-1994, the number of Afghan mujahideen employed in Azerbaijani forces ranged from 1000 to 3000. 9. Participation of Afghan mujahideen on Azerbaijani side was confirmed by numerous testimonies. In the spring-summer period of 1993, during the battles in the South and South-East of Nagorno-Karabakh, writings published in Afghanistan, notebooks, map drawings, personal letters with Afghan and Pakistani addresses, written in Dari and Pashto languages, photos of Afghan fighters in cities of Azerbaijan, as well as instructions and documents of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan fell into the hands of Karabakh forces. In the late August of 1993, bodies of Afghan mujahideen, dressed in traditional national costumes were found on the battlefield. On April 20, 1994, Afghan mercenary Bahtior Verballah Baberzai from Mazar-i-Sharif was captured on South-Eastern part of Karabakh frontline. He disclosed how he had ended up in Azerbaijan and under which conditions mercenaries fought for the Army of Azerbaijan. Along with Chechen and Afghan mercenaries, Turkish military advisers and militants of the Turkish nationalist organization “Grey Wolves” (Bozkurt) were fighting on the Azerbaijani side. Beyond the direct involvement of separate Turkish detachments in the hostilities on Karabakh battlefield, around 150 high-ranking officers of the Turkish Army, including 10 retired generals, actively participated in the planning of combat operations and training of subversive and assault units of the Azerbaijani Army in the beginning of 1992. 10 During the entire war period, Turkey provided comprehensive military support to Azerbaijan both in terms of army building, and military and logistical supplies. In military actions against Artsakh, mercenaries from CIS countries fought as part of the Azerbaijani forces as well, mainly reinforcing the crews of combat vehicles and machinery of the Azerbaijani Army. Engagement of mercenaries, especially Chechen and Afghan militants, in combat actions in Karabakh, and also the fact that they settled down in Azerbaijan, eventually turned into a serious problem for Azerbaijani authorities. Some of them engaged in criminal affairs instead of participating in military actions or demanded very large remuneration for their participation in hostilities. Involvement of Afghan mujahideen in the conflict zone became the main factor making Azerbaijan a transit country for transportation of illegal drugs to Russia and Europe 11 as well as a transit and provisioning point for terrorists and terrorist activities. 12. 1. According to article 5 paragraph 2 of the “International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries”, “States Parties shall not recruit, use, finance or train mercenaries for the purpose of opposing the legitimate exercise of the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination, as recognized by international law, and shall take, in conformity with international law, the appropriate measures to prevent the recruitment, use, financing or training of mercenaries for that purpose”. 2. С.Шерматова. Ислам на постсоветском пространстве: взгляд изнутри. (S. Shermatova “Islam in the Post-Soviet Newly Independent States: The view from within”). 3. Демоян Гайк: «Турция и Карабахский конфликт в конце XX – начале XXI веков. Историко-сравнительный анализ». Ер.: Авторское издание, 2006. Д 310 (Demoyan, Hayk. Turkey and Karabakh Conflict in Late 20th and Early 21st Century: a historical comparative analysis. Yerevan, 2006), pp. 182, 184. 4. Ioannis Charalampidis, Sponsored to Kill: Mercenaries and Terrorist Networks in Azerbaijan, Moscow. “MIA” Publishers, 2013, p. 4. 5. In 1997 an agreement was reached between Heydar Aliyev and the Islamists, according to which the Islamists gained a right of free movement of mercenaries and weapons through the territory of Azerbaijan, in exchange for a promise not to undertake any attempts of coup d’état or armed uprisings against Azerbaijani authorities. Yossef Bodansky. The New Azerbaijan Hub: How Islamist Operations Are Targeting Russia, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Defense and Foreign Affairs' Strategy Policy. October, 1999. 6. Ариф Юнусов. Ислам в Азербайджане. – Баку: «Заман», 2004 (Arif Yunusov. Islam in Azerbaijan. Baku: Zaman, 2004), p.260. 7. Ioannis Charalampidis, Sponsored to Kill: Mercenaries and Terrorist Networks in Azerbaijan, “MIA” Publishers, 2013, p. 6. 8. Joseph A. Kechichian and Theodore W. Karasik. The Crisis in Azerbaijan: how clans influence the politics of an emerging republic. 9. Bitter Afghanistan Struggle Helps Fuel Asian Conflicts, The Daily Telegraph, November 10, 1993; Azerbaijan Throws Raw Recruits Into Battle. Desperate ‘Human Wave’ Tactics Reportedly Cost 4,000 Lives in Winter Offensive, The Washington Post, April 21, 1994; Afghan “Wild Goose” In a Karabakh Cage, Moscow News N23, June 5-12, 1994; Afghan Fighters Joined Azeri-Armenian War in 1993. Christian Science Monitor, By Daniel Sneider, November 16, 1993; The Future is for Professional Army. Leyla Yunus, Zerkalo, August 10, 2002. 10. Демоян Гайк: «Турция и Карабахский конфликт в конце XX – начале XXI веков. Историко-сравнительный анализ». Ер.: Авторское издание, 2006. Д 310 (Hayk Demoyan, Turkey and Karabakh Conflict in Late 20th and Early 21st Century: a historical comparative analysis. Yerevan, 2006), p.111. 11. In mid-1990s the territory of Azerbaijan was one of the major transit routes of international drug trafficking. This fact was reflected in the annual reports of the US Department of State. 12. Демоян Гайк: «Турция и Карабахский конфликт в конце XX – начале XXI веков. Историко-сравнительный анализ». Ер.: Авторское издание, 2006. Д 310 (Hayk Demoyan, Turkey and Karabakh Conflict in Late 20th and Early 21st Century: a historical comparative analysis. Yerevan, Author's edition, 2006), pp.201, 202, 209. The 1999 Annual report of the US Department of State on global terrorism states that Azerbaijan “served as a logistic hub for international mujahidin with ties to terrorist groups”. Patterns of Global Terrorism, Eurasia Overview, US Department of State, 1999. AZERBAIJAN: "They believe talking about their faith is not a crime" Arrested by police in Yevlakh in late August for "preaching the Nursi religious trend" – a reference to the teachings of the late Turkish Muslim theologian Said Nursi - Hasil Mamedov was imprisoned for seven days and Yusif Mamedov and Arif Yunusov for five days each on charges of hooliganism, court officials told Forum 18 News Service. "The police accused them of hooliganism, but they were not guilty of any wrongdoing," their lawyer Farhat Mamedov told Forum 18. "They believe talking about their faith is not a crime." Other Nursi followers have been fined. Jehovah's Witness Tarana Khutsishvili, whose husband was deported to punish him for his religious activity in July, again had a meeting in her home raided by a dozen police in August. Although in her last month of pregnancy, police threatened her with arrest and told others to pay large fines. Three adherents of the late Turkish Muslim theologian Said Nursi were given prison terms of between five and seven days in the central town of Yevlakh [Yevlax] in late August for teaching their beliefs, court officials and the men's lawyer told Forum 18 News Service. "The police accused them of hooliganism, but they were not guilty of any wrongdoing," the lawyer Farhat Mamedov told Forum 18 from Yevlakh on 10 September. "They believe talking about their faith is not a crime." Police have continued to move against other Nursi adherents, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants. As is their usual custom, the officials who answered the telephones on 11 September of Gunduz Ismailov and Yagut Alieva, spokespersons at the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations, hung up as soon as Forum 18 had asked about the recent harassment of religious communities. Religious communities of a variety of faiths are facing a wave of harassment at the moment. In the wake of the deportation of two Jehovah's Witnesses – both Georgian citizens – in July, police on 10 September fined and ordered the deportation of Javid Shingarov, an Azerbaijan-born Baptist from Yalama in the north of the country, after accusing him of "illegally propagandizing his faith" in his home (see F18News 11 September 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1347). Moves against Nursi followers. Police in Yevlakh detained Hasil Mamedov, Yusif Mamedov and Arif Yunusov in late August for "preaching the Nursi religious trend", the local news agency APA reported, quoting local police. The agency said religious literature "banned for distribution" was confiscated. Yevlakh District Court found the three men guilty on 26 August of violating Article 296 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which punishes "petty hooliganism", the court chancellery told Forum 18 on 10 September. Hasil Mamedov received a seven-day prison term, while Yusif Mamedov and Arif Yunusov each received a five-day sentence. Both the court and their lawyer told Forum 18 that the three denied the accusations against them but did not lodge appeals against the sentences. The man who answered the phone of Yevlakh police chief Mehrali Bayramov on 11 September hung up as soon as Forum 18 asked why the three had been detained and punished. The duty officer at the police station insisted the same day that the men had been punished by the court, not by the police, but refused to discuss why the police had detained them in the first place and what acts of hooliganism they are alleged to have committed. Another group of Nursi followers were fined under the Code of Administrative Offences in Gyanja [Gäncä], Azerbaijan's second city, in late July. Quoting Interior Ministry officers, Trend news agency reported on 27 July that police took eleven local residents and one visitor from the capital Baku to the police station after they were caught studying Said Nursi's teachings in a private flat owned by Elmir Mekhtiev. The agency said two of those held – Rovshan Iskenderov and Ismail Askerov – were punished under Article 310 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which punishes "wilful failure to obey the demands of the law or the police". Mekhtiev was punished under Article 299, which punishes "violation of the procedure for religious activity". The agency said the remainder were freed after they wrote statements. Despite repeated calls on 14 September to Gyanja's Kapaz District Court – where it appears the three were fined - Forum 18 was unable to find any official able to confirm the cases and give the level of the fines. These are the latest in a series of moves against Nursi adherents. In the north-western Gakh [Qax] District in July, three visitors from Mingechaur [Mingacevir] were detained for "propaganda for religious extremism" and copies of Nursi's works were confiscated from them. They were punished by Gakh District Court under the Code of Administrative Offences and expelled from the District (see F18News 22 July 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1330). The APA news agency also noted that ten men the police described as "Wahhabis" were detained in Yevlakh in August for "illegal religious propaganda". It said the group was led by local resident Zafar Ibrahimov. They too were sentenced to short terms of imprisonment by Yevlakh Regional Court. It remains unclear what activity the men were engaged in. Jehovah's Witnesses and Baptists face administrative penalties. On 12 August police again raided a group of Jehovah's Witnesses in Gakh, four weeks to the day after a previous raid. The group was meeting in the private home of Tarana Khutsishvili. In the wake of the 15 July raid, her husband, Elguja Khutsishvili, an Azerbaijan-born Georgian citizen, was deported from Azerbaijan on 23 July to punish him for his religious activity (see F18News 11 September 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1347). Shortly after the 12 August meeting concluded in mid-afternoon, about nine men in police uniform and another four in civilian clothing arrived at the Khutsishvili home, where 15 persons were gathered. "The worshippers relate how the police burst in and announced that all the activity of Jehovah's Witnesses in Gakh is forbidden," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. "They then searched the house without showing any identification, finally insulting those present and accusing them of violating administrative law." The police said that each would be fined 300 Manats (2,217 Norwegian Kroner, 256 Euros or 373 US Dollars). They also threatened Tarana Khutsishvili with imprisonment, despite the fact that she was in the last month of her pregnancy and has two other children to look after in the absence of her deported husband. Four of the men and one woman present were taken to the police station, where they were insulted, questioned and pressured to sign documents admitting that they had violated the law. One man was hit in the face. Two young women, also Jehovah's Witnesses, who had already left the Khutsishvili home before the police arrived, were also detained at the police station and not allowed to speak to anyone. After a few hours' detention, the policemen told the two women that they should pay a fine of 500 Manats (3,694 Norwegian Kroner, 426 Euros or 622 US Dollars). All were finally released late that night. Police in Gakh refused to answer any of Forum 18's questions on 14 September about why Elguja Khutsishvili had been deported, why religious meetings at the family home had been raided in July and August, why the Jehovah's Witnesses were detained, why one was beaten and why they were threatened with fines. After long deliberations with colleagues, the duty officer put the phone down. The Interior Ministry website noted on the day of the raid that six Jehovah's Witnesses – five of them visitors from other towns - had been detained in Gakh for "proselytising the Jehovah's Witness faith". It added that sixty Jehovah's Witness brochures and seven books were found and taken from them. The Ministry said the six were released after official protocols about them had been drawn up under the "relevant article" of the Administrative Offences Code. As is their usual practice, the Ministry did not reveal anything about any punishments. Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18 on 14 September that those detained have not paid the threatened fines and that they are not being pressed to do so at the moment. They say they intend to file a complaint with the General Prosecutor's Office against the police in connection with the raid. Meanwhile, a young Baptist, Fagan Mammadov, is facing trial on 15 September in Guneshli in Baku under Articles 299 and 300 of the Code of Administrative Offences, Baptists told Forum 18 from Baku on 11 September. He has been accused of "illegally spreading Christianity to a minor" after giving a Christian CD to a teenage girl he knew who asked him for material on the Christian faith. Baptists also complain that in the town of Gusar [Qusar], close to Azerbaijan's northern border with Russia, officials began in late August to force local church members to sign statements rejecting any Christian activity, otherwise they are threatened with arrest. "They even do this for women," they added. They say some church members have been forced to flee to other towns "for their own safety". Baptists added that church members on the island of Pirallahi (Artyom) close to Baku are afraid after police began searching for them, though pressure there seems to have eased. (END)

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