Nyheter om Azerbajdzjan
Czech MFA: ”We are informed about the situation of Mr Bahruz Samadov”
The Azerbaijani peace activist and political scientist Bahruz Samadov was arrested on Wednesday. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now involved in the case.
Av Rasmus Canbäck 23 augusti, 2024
On August 21, peace activist and political scientist Bahruz Samadov was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities at his family’s residence in Baku.
According to his grandmother, six members of the Azerbaijani security police came to the residence to arrest Samadov and search the house for drugs. After some time, they confiscated two computers, two phones, and Samadov’s university diploma.
A public defender, RFE/RL reported, later contacted the family to inform them that Samadov was accused of “treason”. The accusations were related to his writing of articles in English and signing a peace manifesto.
Samadov was visiting Azerbaijan but usually lives in Prague, where he is pursuing a PhD in political science at Charles University. He has long been a critic of the Azerbaijani state and has written several analytical articles on the authoritarian regime. Additionally, he has been a frequent expert in Western media on issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh war and repression in Azerbaijan. Among other things, he has appeared several times in articles by Blankspot.
On Friday, Azerbaijani activist Rüstam Ismayibeyli tweeted that Samadov had been denied access to his lawyer since his arrest.
Several media outlets, where Samadov has published articles, have reported on his arrest. In Eurasianet, where Samadov is described as a freelance journalist, the press freedom organization Committee to Protect Journalists made a statement.
“The critical reports and penetrating analysis that Samadov has been known for does not equate treason, and the authorities must either produce evidence of their allegations, or let Samadov free,” said Gulnoza Said, the organization’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.
She continued by noting that Azerbaijan’s crackdown on the media has intensified in recent months.
“Azerbaijan has cracked down on independent media in recent months and has currently a record high number of journalists in detention for doing their job.”
In a statement to Blankspot, Charles University’s press department said they are closely monitoring the situation.
”The academic community of Charles University is following with concern the news of the arrest of Bahruz Samadov, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The management of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University together with the management of Charles University are working intensively to gather information from verified sources. Charles University has also approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic with a request for cooperation.”
This information has also been confirmed by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Baku Embassy are informed about the situation of Mr Bahruz Samadov. We continue to monitor the situation closely. It would not be of benefit to anyone at this stage to publicly disclose details.”
In November, the climate summit COP29 will be held in Azerbaijan. Over the past year, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has tripled to just over 300.
According to OC Media Bahruz Samadov is charged with ”treason”, and if found guilty will face between 12 to 20 years in prison.
Top Picture: Archive photo of Bahruz Samadov in Tbilisi. Photo by Rasmus Canbäck
