21 August 2010, 18:00
In Azerbaijan, soldier convicted to 13 years after return from Armenian captivity
On August 20, the Military Court on Grave Crimes passed a verdict to the soldier who was in Armenian captivity. Gasanov was accused of high treason and sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment.
According to the indictment, the soldier Rafik Rakhman oglu Gasanov, born in 1989, was captured on October 8, 2008, in the combat contact line in the Gazakh District by Armenian servicemen. In December 2008, Gasanov announced his intention to receive Armenian citizenship because of hazing in the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. On April 7, 2010, Gasanov was returned to the Azerbaijani party across the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The court found it proved that the soldier was guilty of high treason, namely, of surrendering to the enemy, espionage, disclosure of state secrets and hostile activities against his homeland, the "APA" Agency reports.
