In Azerbaijan, Mekhman Balakishiev charged with involvement in IAF in Syria

Mekhman Balakishiev, a citizen of Azerbaijan, who was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the civil war in Syria, was charged under Article 279.1 (creation of illegal armed formations (IAFs) or involvement in them) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. This was reported by Elchin Bekhbudov, the leader of the "Committee against Torture", who recently visited arrested Mekhman Balakishiev in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) of Azerbaijan.

Earlier it was reported that five citizens of Azerbaijan, detained in Turkey and sent to Azerbaijan, are kept in custody as persons suspected of involvement in the civil war in Syria. The number of the detainees includes Mekhman Balakishiev, a resident of the city of Sumgait, born in 1985.

"Mekhman has said he was fighting for religion. However, at present, he repents of his deeds. He feels great regret for his intention to go to Syria," Elchin Bekhbudov has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 14, the Azerbaijani Parliament amended the legislation and toughened penalties for becoming mercenaries and terrorism. According to local experts, those amendments represent an attempt to prevent involvement of citizens of Azerbaijan in international terrorist groupings and in combat operations in Syria.

It should be noted that, according to users of social networks, within the period, starting from the beginning of the military conflict in Syria and till February 2014, more than 100 citizens of Azerbaijan were killed in Syria.

See earlier reports: "Chechen militants get to Syria via Azerbaijan, said a MIA source", "Residents of Chechnya report about departure of Hajj participants and combatants' family members to war in Syria", "In Dagestan, Buynaksk native wanted on suspicion of terrorism".