In Azerbaijan, a religious activist was sentenced to four years

A Baku court hearing cases of serious crimes sentenced religious figure Elshan Guliyev to four years in prison. He was found guilty of drug possession.

Before the verdict, in his closing argument, Guliyev denied his guilt, declaring, "We say 'no' to the oppressors."

In response to this statement, the judge interrupted his speech and removed him from the courtroom.

The activist was detained last August.

In May, human rights activists published a report listing 328 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. The list is divided into 12 categories. The largest group is religious believers, with 182 individuals. Representatives of opposition parties and civil society are in second place (44), followed by journalists, bloggers, and human rights activists (39).

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