Azerbaijan: Academics Arrested On Fabricated Charges
Igbal Abilov is a researcher and academic specializing in history and ethnography. He lectures on international relations at the Belarusian State University and is also an author of several academic publications on ethnic minorities of the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran. An ethnic Talysh himself, his is also a co-founder of Talysh National Academy in Belarus. According to media reports, he has lived in Belarus since he was a child.
Igbal Abilov was detained by Azerbaijani security forces while visiting his family and relatives in Azerbaijan. On 22 June he was taken for questioning by the security forces and released after six hours. On 27 June, he attempted to return to Belarus, but was prevented from boarding the plane and had his passport confiscated. He was detained and transferred to a detention centre in Baku on 22 July. His family was not notified of his detention. On 24 July a court in Baku remanded him to four-month detention on charges of “high treason (Article 274 of the Criminal Code), “foreign-agent-instructed public appeals against state” (Article 281.3), and “incitement of ethnic hatred” (Article 283.1) He has not been allowed to meet his family members or communicate any information about his case to them. On 31 August, his lawyer Fariz Namazli, lawyer was also detained, questioned for three hours, and released without charges.
The Azerbaijani authorities have a history of prosecuting the Talysh people, particularly those who advocate cultural or political autonomy. Two prominent Talysh activists imprisoned under trumped up and politically motivated charges have died in custody after being reportedly subjected to torture and ill-treatment and denial of medical treatment.
Bahruz Samadov, is a postgraduate student of political science at Charles University in Prague, Czechia. He is the author of several academic and media publications on current political issues in Azerbaijan, including critical articles and opinions about the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, and has taken part in academic conferences and meetings on promoting dialogue and peace in region.
Bahruz Samadov was detained on 21 August by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service while visiting the country on a break from doctoral studies. The police searched his house and confiscated laptops, mobile devices and passport. He has been charged with high treason (Article 274). Police in Baku also detained and questioned two of Bahruz Samadov’s colleagues, journalists Samad Shikhi and Cavid Ağa in connection with the case and placed them under a travel ban. Azerbaijani authorities have in the past targeted peace activists who advocated for a peaceful settlement of the conflict with Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani have long abused the criminal justice system to silence any critical opinion or research. The crackdown on critical voices has recently intensified, especially ahead of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29, scheduled in Baku November 2024.