CEDH · CASELAW;COMMUNICATEDCASES;ENG — 1 mars 2021

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s379BC09C { margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s10950C61 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:14.2pt; text-align:justify } .s5E1364CA { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:12pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:14pt } .s339D85E6 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s665E407E { margin-top:66pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } Communicated on 1 March 2021 Published on 22 March 2021   FIFTH SECTION Applications nos. 52773/19 and 54768/19 Emil MEHDIYEV against Azerbaijan and Vahid ABILOV against Azerbaijan lodged on 7 October 2019 and 17 October 2019 respectively SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE The applications concern the criminal conviction of the applicants, members of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were sentenced to one year’s suspended imprisonment for their refusal to perform military service on religious grounds. QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES Has there been an interference with the applicants’ freedom of thought, conscience or religion, within the meaning of Article   9 §   1 of the Convention on account of the applicants’ criminal conviction for refusing to perform their military service? If so, was that interference prescribed by law and necessary in terms of Article   9 §   2 of the Convention?