Slovenian political philosopher Slavoj Žižek has personally called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev asking him to release OC Media contributor and politicologist Bahruz Samadov, who is currently serving a prison sentence on treason charges he denies.
Žižek called for Samadov’s release in a letter co-signed Altay Goyushov, the director of the Baku Research Institute, Alssandra Russo, professor at the University of Trento, and Daniil Beilinson, co-founder of Russian human rights organisation OVD-Info.
In the letter, the four decried Samadov’s sentencing to 15 years on charges of treason in June 2025 for ‘nothing but his peaceful anti-war stance’.
‘Such mistreatment of peaceful activists has no place in Azerbaijan: a modern nation with deep trade and cultural ties to the EU and US’, they continued.
They warned that his basic rights ‘are being violated right now’ as he is being held in solitary confinement and being threatened with the transfer to the high-security Umbaku prison.
‘The latest facility is known for its brutal conditions. Bahruz already attempted suicide twice while in imprisonment, hence a transfer to the Umbaku prison is a borderline death sentence. Bahruz’s only close relative is his grandmother, who will be unable to visit her only grandson there.’
They additionally highlighted major developments in peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, noting that in spite of those, ‘Bahruz’s sentence was not only revoked but held up in appeal in full’.
‘As far as we know, his alleged crime consists solely of contacts with Armenian peaceful activists and students.’
Samadov, a young political scientist, was detained in August 2024 and sentenced in June on charges of treason. Prior to his arrest, he was an outspoken advocate for peace with Armenia, and has written extensively about peace and the deepening authoritarianism in Azerbaijan — including for OC Media.
His arrest has drawn widespread criticism, with numerous international bodies and organisations, including the EU Parliament and Amnesty International, calling for his immediate release.
Gulnara Mehdiyeva
