The prosecutor has called for Ilgar Ibrahimoglu, the popular imam of Baku\'s Djuma Mosque, to be sentenced to 4 1/2 years\' imprisonment for his alleged role in the clashes in Baku on 16 October in the wake of the previous day\'s disputed presidential election. Ibrahimoglu, who also heads the Center for the Defense of Freedom of Conscience and Religious Belief, was accompanying a group of OSCE election observers who witnessed, but did not participate in, the 16 October clashes between police and opposition supporters. In his closing statement he told the court that \"I feel like a victim of the inquisition. I realize that if the opportunity presented itself, I would be burned at the stake... The charges against me are absolutely groundless.\" Azerbaijan\'s State Committee for Religious Affairs released a statement on 1 April stressing that it played no role in Ibrahimoglu\'s arrest or trial. At the same time, the statement pointed out that Ibrahimoglu\'s congregation is illegal insofar as it has failed to register with the committee, and that it occupied the Djuma Mosque illegally without first securing permission from the Culture Ministry, which is responsible for historic buildings. (RFE/RL)