CENSORSHIPS IN NOVEMBER 2019

CENSORSHIPS IN NOVEMBER 2019

14 November

Educational religious course building	Classrooms
Sleeping rooms	The confiscated religious literature

According to the State Security Service (SSS) Press Service and the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations (SCWRO), on 14 November, it was identified “an illegal religious training course” in one of the houses in Lokbatan settlement, Garadagh district of Baku, as a result of the raid of these state structures officials in collaboration with the Interior Ministry representatives.

In the course of the premises inspection and search, it was found that the facility was used for the religious studies and attended by 26 individuals, including the minors. The building had been well equipped and besides classrooms for studying the prohibited religious literature, it also had an accommodation for non-resident students.

Upon completion of the inspection and search, it was drawn up an administrative protocol concerning the founders of these illegal religious training courses, Elton Abdullayev and Elsevar Qurbanov. All found religious literature was also confiscated. The protocol was sent to the court.

At the same time, the law enforcement authorities initiated a criminal case related to the matter. The confiscated religious literature is believed to be evidence of an unregistered madrasa (the Islamic religious education institution) of Sunnis from Nurchu or related to the Turkish theologian Fathullah Gulen.