10.07.2019

Man accused of assassination attempt against official dies in prison in Azerbaijan

Aydin Gurbanov, one of the alleged participants in an assassination attempt on the mayor of Ganja, has died in an Azerbaijani prison hospital. His wife says that he was not provided adequate care and that authorities refused him release on health grounds.

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Details of the “Ganja incident”

In July 2018, an assassination attempt occurred on Elmar Veliyev, mayor of the city of Ganja in western Azerbaijan. Local inhabitant Yunus Safarov opened fire on Veliyev and his bodyguard. Both survived, and Safarov was captured.

A week later, a 200-strong protest in support of Safarov took place in front of the Ganja city administration building. Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators, with two policemen killed.

One of the suspects accused of killing the policemen died several days later in detention, while another was charged.

In March 2019, more than ten people were convicted for allegedly organizing the rallies and planning the violence against the police.

In April 2019, relatives of the prisoners held several protests, without any response from authorities.

The arrest and death of Aydin Gurbanov

Aydin Gurbanov was arrested in August 2018, accused of possessing illegal weapons and preparing to carry out a terrorist attack in Ganja. He denied the charges.

Gurbanov suffered from stomach cancer. His wife says that his condition worsened after he was tortured in prison. Despite his deterioration, he was not provided treatment and continued to decline, she told Caucasian Knot.

Azerbaijani law allows the release of prisoners or an adjustment in the terms of their imprisonment on health grounds. Gurbanov’s relatives requested that Gurbanov be released as a terminally ill patient, but this was refused.