14 August 2007, 13:11
Believers' rights violations reported from Azerbaijan
According to the messages that have arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from the Zagatala District of Azerbaijan, the police conducted another operation of shaving off young men's beards.
Local residents report that Kyamandar Gasanov, deputy commander of the Zagatala District Police Department, gave an order to catch all men with beards without distinction and bring them to the police station for "prophylactic work" that means beating and shaving off beards.
K. Gasanov has also summoned a group of believers and ordered them to exercise their namaz twice a day and not five times as the religion requires.
Making his comments on the information, lawyer Elman Osmanov has noted that, unfortunately, the facts of this sort in the Zagatala District have already acquired mass character. In this connection, the lawyer has addressed President Ilham Aliev, President of Geidar Aliev's Foundation Mekhriban Alieva, Public Prosecutor Zakir Garalov and Minister of National Security Eldar Makhmudov with a demand to put an end to the outrage and pressure rendered by policemen of some of the northern areas on devout Moslems.
Meanwhile, the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs has refuted the facts of pressure on devout Moslems in the Zagatala District and treated the appeared information as slander: "Nobody has approached us with any complaints against the police."
Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent
