Baku: A preliminary court hearing has been held in the criminal case launched by the State Security Service (SSS) against Fakhraddin Shahmurov and Jalal Muradov, who are accused of treason and creating an extremist group that planned acts of sabotage and hostage-taking, APA reports. During the hearing at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, under the chairmanship of Judge Elmin Rustamov, personal details of the defendants were clarified.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, although Fakhraddin Shahmurov received his secondary education in the Azerbaijani language, a Lezgi-language interpreter was provided for him. Later, Jalal Muradov’s lawyer filed a motion requesting that the pre-trial detention measure applied to his client be replaced with house arrest. The public prosecutor proposed not to change the preventive measure. Fakhraddin Shahmurov’s lawyer requested that the case be returned to the investigative body that conducted the preliminary investigation, arguing that his client was not provided with a translator from the Lezgi language.
The public prosecutor, referring to the fact that the accused was able to write a poem titled “Dagestan” in fluent Azerbaijani, proposed that the motion not be granted. The motions were not granted. According to the court’s decision, the criminal case has been submitted for trial, and a hearing is scheduled for October 6. The following sessions will be held behind closed doors.
Complex operational-investigative measures by the State Security Service determined that citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Shahmurov and Muradov, conspired to create a criminal group with the aim of committing grave crimes against the constitutional order. They prepared to commit sabotage acts against state institutions by organizing secret meetings and various closed groups on social networks.
During a secret meeting with a foreign citizen, it was announced that the criminal organization’s flag was composed, which was later presented to Fakhraddin Shahmurov to lead the development of crime plans. A sabotage plan elaborated by Shahmurov and other members included seizing a customs post and taking hostages to put forward the criminal organization’s demands. However, the illegal actions were prevented by undertaken measures.
The SSS filed final charges against Fakhraddin Shahmurov under various articles of the Criminal Code, including preparation for taking hostages, creating a criminal organization, and treason. Jalal Muradov has been charged with participation in a criminal organization and public calls against the state by a group of persons.