Azerbaijan threatens political refugees abroad

Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor’s Office has summoned a number of political refugees — including several bloggers, businesspersons, and heads of online media who have been living abroad for years — for interrogation.

One named individual summoned on 16 March was Ilgar Hajiyev, a vocal critic of the Azerbaijani government who is currently in exile. The Prosecutor General’s Office said he is expected to appear at the Investigation Department on 14 July. Hajiyev has been charged with fraud and he is on Azerbaijan’s wanted list.

Hajiyev was the former owner of Akkord, a company famous in Azerbaijan for building houses and other infrastructure. After leaving the country, Hajiyev began criticising Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in public interviews.

According to RFE/RL, Hajiev was accused of fraud in December 2020, a search warrant was issued for him, and by the decision of the Narimanov District Court in 2021, a preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen, and he was put on Azerbaijan’s wanted list.

Bloggers Mahammad Mirzali and Gabil Mammadov were also summoned to the Prosecutor General’s Office, and were told they should appear on 17 April.

Mirzali is an opposition Popular Front Party member and lives in France. He runs the YouTube video blog Made in Azerbaijan.

In March 2021, Mirzali was reportedly stabbed while in France — several people were arrested in connection with this incident.

In 2018, a criminal case was opened against Mirzali, and he was charged with a variety of crimes, including disobeying government orders, inciting riots, and attempting to overthrow the government.

In turn, Mammadov, known for his harsh statements against the authorities, has been charged under 24 articles of the Criminal Code, including terrorism.

Gurban Mammadov, a lawyer and head of the Azerfreedom TV channel, was another emigrant summoned to the Prosecutor General’s Office. He was also charged with terrorism, along with a number of other charges.

The exiled-journalist Tural Sadigli, who is one of the founders of online TV channel Azad Söz, was summoned to the Prosecutor General’s Office. Sadigli is accused of inciting mass riots and other illegal actions. He was put on the wanted list and arrested in absentia.

All of those summoned have generally denied the charges brought against them, claiming it has been their anti-government activity that has led them to be targeted.

On Monday, several MPs, including Elman Nasirov and Hikmat Babaoghlu, spoke to Pravda, a pro-government media outlet about the Azerbaijani emigrants being summoned, stating that though they lived abroad, it was still possible to extradite them back to Azerbaijan.

‘There is no doubt that German law enforcement will not extradite [Gabil Mammadov]. He lives in France with Mahammad Mirzali and believes that given the tense relations between Azerbaijan and France, France will not extradite him to Azerbaijan. This is a false idea. They will be brought to the country, it is only a matter of time. It will probably not take long,’ Nasirov said.