Additional Name(s): Ahsan Muzaffar oglu Nuruzade
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Azerbaijan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Shi'a
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: October/6/2017
Date of Sentencing: March/6/2018
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Association
Nature of Charges: Drug Trafficking & Illicit Drug Use
Ahsan Nuruzade is imprisoned for his religious association.
On October 6, 2017, two plain clothes officers abducted Nuruzade, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM) organization, near his home as he was heading to attend the Nardaran trial.
On October 9, 2017, Nuruzade was brought to the Baku Pre-Trial Detention Facility and charged with "illegally purchasing or storing with a view of selling, manufacturing, processing, transporting, transferring or selling of narcotics or psychotropic substances in large amount" (Art. 234.4.3 ACC).
On March 6, 2018, the Baku Grave Crimes Court convicted Nuruzade and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
On April 8, 2018, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld Nuruzade's sentence.
On January 30, 2019, the Supreme Court upheld Nuruzade's conviction.
Nuruzade had been detained on two prior occasions in 2017 related to his religious association.
"List of Political Prisoners...On 10 December 2021" Institute for Peace and Democracy
"A Unified List of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan" Working Group on a Unified List of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan
2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Azerbaijan U.S. Department of State
2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Azerbaijan U.S. Department of State