E/CN.4/2001/66 page 26 86. Concerning Vugar Verdiev, the Government indicated that he was arrested on 30 April 1996 in Baku and taken to the town of Gyandzha where he was questioned as a suspect in the presence of his lawyer. On 2 May 1996, he was detained and charged and, on 18 December 1997, convicted of aggravated murder, robbery and possessing firearms without proper authorization by the Baku Municipal Court. He was sentenced to death, a sentence which was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. According to the Government, during the preliminary investigation, he had admitted his guilt. His sentence was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court of the Azerbaijani Republic. An investigation revealed that Vugar Verdiev’s parents had not been detained in a police station. 87. Concerning Bakhram Sadygov, the Government stated that an investigation by the Procurator’s Office of the town of Sumgait revealed that, on 20 November 1998, the Criminal Investigation Section of the Sumgait Municipal Police Department instituted criminal proceedings against him for robbery. On 7 January 1999, Bakhram Sadygov was arrested and placed in the temporary custodial section of the Sumgait Municipal Police Department. On 8 January 1999, he was charged with robbery and placed in custody. In the course of questioning, he admitted that he was guilty. He died on 17 January 1999 in the temporary custodial facility, which created considerable difficulties for the police in connection with the preliminary investigation. The Procurator’s Office carried out an investigation into the cause of his death. A post-mortem examination in the presence of the senior investigator of the Procurator’s Office, carried out on 18 January 1999, showed that the cause of death was acute cardio-pulmonary deficiency, pneumonia and a heart attack. No signs of beatings had been found. The Government stated that Bakhram Sadygov had twice requested medical care. On 13 January 1999, he had complained of severe headaches and a physician had found that he was suffering from high blood pressure and had given him the necessary care. On 17 January 1999, he once again requested a doctor. The physician arrived immediately, however Bakhram Sadygov was already dead. On 5 March 1999, the Sumgait Prosecutor’s Office decided to refrain from instituting criminal proceedings as his death was due to natural causes. It was also established that he had made no complaints or appeals to the authorities. 88. Concerning Aleksandr Usenko, the Procurator’s Office in Baku found that he had tried to bribe the Chief of Administration of the Ministry of Justice in order to have the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group illegally registered. The Procurator’s Office launched a preliminary investigation and charged him. Subsequent to his complaint that the senior investigator of the Baku Procurator’s Office had used unlawful methods in conducting the investigation, the case was assigned to another investigator. The inquiry and evidence presented by impartial persons revealed that allegations of beatings and insults were groundless. This was further confirmed by a lawyer who had been brought in on 13 November 1997. The Sabail District People’s Court of Baku found him guilty and imposed a suspended sentence of three years’ imprisonment. 89. Concerning Vusal Rasulov, the Government stated that an investigation led to the conclusion that, on 6 November 1997, the Mingechaur Police Department brought criminal proceedings against Sakhiba Rasulova and her husband Yashar Rasulov for fraudulently obtaining money from two persons. On 6 March 1998, the case was transferred to the Procurator’s Office of Shekin district for investigation. On 18 December 1998, Yashar Rasulov was charged with swindling, incitement and unauthorized representation of himself as an official, found guilty and sentenced by the Geranboi District Court of Azerbaijan.