Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.14 / Trend, K.Zarbaliyeva /
Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office continues to investigate the criminal case filed due to the 20 January tragedy.
A criminal case was filed under the following articles of the Criminal Code, including 149 (intentional destruction or damage of property), 168 (abuse of power or official authority), 255 (abuse of power and authority) and items 4 and 6 of Article 94 (premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances). The investigation is underway, Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office told Trend.
According to the information, materials on the criminal case have not been returned by Russia's law enforcement agencies to Azerbaijan.
"The materials of the criminal case consisting of 68 volumes were taken to Moscow because the criminal case was filed by the USSR Prosecutor General's Office. The requests for the return of these materials to the Office of Prosecutor General of the Azerbaijan Republic and the necessary documents specified by the law for the detention and transfer the accused people under investigation have already been submitted to Russia's law enforcement bodies. But a positive response has not been given to these requests," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
The Prosecutor General's Office said that the preliminary investigation on the 20 January tragedy was held by the General Prosecutor of the USSR. A decision dated Dec. 20, 1990 was made to suspend the execution of the criminal case due to the conclusion that there was no corpus delicti in the actions of the military.
The decision on cessation was terminated by Azerbaijan's Office of Prosecutor General on Feb. 14, 1992. A criminal case was filed again.
The investigation revealed that 132 people were killed, 612 - injured, 841 - illegally arrested as a result of committed crimes. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed, causing damage to the state and citizens in large amount.
In 1994 decisions were made to prosecute the former first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan Abdurahman Vezirov, chairman of the Council of Ministers Ayaz Mutallibov and others. A preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen towards them due to the fact that they run away, hiding from the investigation. They were wanted.
As former chairman of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan, Elmira Gafarova, and the second secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan Victor Polyanichko, found guilty of the crime, died, the criminal case against them was ceased.