Yekaterinburg trial: Prosecutor seeks 9-year sentences for Shikhlinski and son

A court hearing has been held at the Kirovsky District Court in Yekaterinburg in the criminal case against the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora, Shahin Shikhlinski, and his son, Mutvali Shikhlinski, on charges of using violence against a government representative.

During the trial, the prosecutor requested nine years’ imprisonment for Shahin Shikhlinski to be served in a strict-regime penal colony, and nine years for his son, Mutvali Shikhlinski, to be served in a general-regime colony, News.Az reports, citing APA.

On 5 March, Shahin Shikhlinski was sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of intentional murder and attempted contract killing.

In June last year, Russian law enforcement agencies carried out an operation against Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg. Force was used during the operation, and as a result, two Azerbaijani brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, were killed. Other members of the Safarov family, along with several compatriots, were arrested by court order. They were charged with crimes allegedly committed in 2001, 2010, and 2011.

Later, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, Shahin Shikhlinski, and his son, Mutvali Shikhlinski, were detained. On 1 July, near “Baku Plaza”, Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives, wearing uniforms and driving vehicles without identification marks, stopped the car driven by Mutvali Shikhlinski. During the incident, Mutvali Shikhlinski lost control of the vehicle and hit an FSB officer. In court, he stated that he regretted what had happened and that the incident was not intentional.

They were later released on the same day. A criminal case was subsequently opened against them on charges of using violence against a government official. Mutvali was initially detained, and later Shahin Shikhlinski was arrested on charges of contract murder and attempted contract murder.

News.Az