Azerbaijani researcher Bahruz Samadov’s appeal for pre-trial release rejected 

Bahruz Samadov, an Azerbaijani academic and freelance journalist detained on charges of treason on 21 August, has been denied a plea for release from four months of pre-trial detention. 

The Baku Court of Appeals rejected the motion on Tuesday. On 23 August, Baku’s Sabail District Court remanded Samadov to four months of pre-trial custody.

Samadov, a 28-year-old doctoral student at Charles University in Prague and a frequent contributor to OC Media, is facing charges of ‘high treason’, which could lead to a prison sentence of 12 to 20 years or a life sentence if he is found guilty.

According to Voice of America, who cited his lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova, Samadov maintained his innocence during his court appearance.

Details of Samadov’s criminal case have not been made public, but both friends and contacts of Samadov’s have suggested that the charges may be formally related to Samadov’s contact with Armenians. 

Samadov has been a vocal advocate for peace with Armenia, as well as criticising both Azerbaijan’s recent military actions to take control of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s human rights record. 

On 27 August, RFE/RL quoted Samadov’s relatives as saying that he had said he was not allowed to sit ‘at certain hours’. Samadov has also reportedly been denied access to books and TV. 

On Monday, a US State Department spokesperson said that they were ‘monitoring’ Samadov’s case ‘with concern’. 

‘We are deeply troubled by Azerbaijan’s continued crackdown on journalists, civil society, and members of the political opposition’, independent Azerbaijani media outlet Turan quoted the spokesperson as saying. 

Following Samadov’s detainment on 21 August, Azerbaijani authorities briefly detained two other government critics who appear to be connected to his case. Activist Samad Shikhi was detained on 23 August while writer Javid Agha was detained three days later, both while attempting to leave Azerbaijan. 

Agha and Shikhi were both reportedly later released, but appeared to be subject to an indefinite travel ban, with Agha suggesting that he would not be able to pursue further studies that he was planning to begin in Lithuania in September. Both also stated on social media that they had been called on as witnesses in the case against Samadov. 

‘It seems that anyone who’s involved with Bahruz cannot leave Azerbaijan’, Aykhan Zayedzadeh, a friend of Bahruz’s, wrote on X. 

On 27 August, PEN America, a free speech advocacy group, said that they were ‘deeply concerned’ about the detention of Bahruz Samadov. They urged Azerbaijani authorities to release him and to ‘cease intimidating writers for their expression’.

Samadov’s detention came less than a month after Igbal Abilov, a Talysh researcher, was similarly detained on treason charges and remanded to four months of pre-trial detention.