The trial over a murder and contract assassination case involving the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals, Shahin Shikhlinski, and others has begun at the Kirov District Court in Yekaterinburg, APA’s Russia bureau reports.
The court session is being held in the regional court building due to the large number of participants in the process.
The defendants include Shahin Shikhlinski, Shujayeddin Rajabov, and Akif, Ayaz, Bakir, Kamal, and Mazahir Safarovs.
The criminal case is being heard by a panel of the jury court. At today’s session, the prosecutor’s and the victim’s motions to hold the court proceedings behind closed doors were granted.
The next court hearing is scheduled for January 27.
In June last year, Russian law enforcement agencies conducted an operation against Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg. Force was used during the operation, resulting in the deaths of two Azerbaijani brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov. The other Safarovs and several Azerbaijanis were arrested by court order. They have been charged with crimes allegedly committed in 2001, 2010, and 2011.
Later, Shahin Shikhlinski, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, and his son Mutvali Shikhlinski were detained. A criminal case was opened against Mutvali Shikhlinski under the article on using violence against a state official. Shahin Shikhlinski is accused of attempted contract killing and using violence against a state official.
