DEATH SENTENCE FOR SABOTEUR IN AZERBAIJAN.

The military board of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has sentenced an officer of the country’s air defense forces to death as an agent for Armenia. Karen Barashev, a native of Baku of mixed Armenian and Talysh parentage who served with the ex-Soviet troops in Azerbaijan, was later recruited in Russia by Armenian intelligence and sent to Azerbaijan under a false identity as a Lezgin. His main assignment from 1993 until his arrest in 1996 was to sabotage Azerbaijani radar installations while also collecting military intelligence. Three codefendants were sentenced to terms ranging from 5 to 11 years in prison. (Turan, Russian agencies, July 22-23) Last week the same Court sentenced an agent of Russian military intelligence to 11 years in prison. (See Monitor, July 16)

No Russian-Azerbaijani Agreement on Border Troops.