Azerbaijan charges pro-Iran cleric with treasonOctober 22, 2021 - 13:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Shia Imam Sardar Babayev detained on October 19 in Azerbaijan has been charged with treason, local media reveal. His lawyer Javad Javadov revealed on Thursday, October 21 that the Sabail District Court of Baku decided to arrest the cleric for a period of 4 months, Turan reports. Azerbaijan’s State Security Service detained several Shiite clerics, including Babaev, as tensions with its southern neighbor Iran continue to fester, Eurasianet.org said. The clerics and their families themselves reported their detentions. All detainees studied in Iran and are considered pro-Iranian religious leaders Tension between Tehran and Baku was sparked in early September after Azerbaijani police began stopping and inspecting Iranian trucks carrying goods to Karabakh via Armenia. Police also arrested two Iranian drivers, drawing protests from Tehran. Iran then held unprecedented war games on its border with Azerbaijan and the two sides exchanged harsh mutual recriminations. Azerbaijan shut down the representative office in Baku of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |