"I thought he was Russian" - a 20-year-old girl in Azerbaijan is accused of spying for Armenia
An eco-activist in Karabakh and an Armenian spy
A young woman has been brought to court in Azerbaijan on charges of high treason. Fidan Aliyeva is accused of espionage in favor of Armenia, transferring information about Azerbaijan through an employee of that country’s special service.
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Aliyeva, 20, has been charged under Article 274 (treason against the homeland) of the Criminal Code. She faces up to 20 years or life imprisonment.
Fidan Aliyeva was detained by the State Security Service several months ago. Her case is currently being considered by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.
“I thought the person I met on Telegram was Russian.”
According to Radio Liberty, Aliyeva was among participants of the protest that started on December 12, 2022 and lasted 138 days on the section of the Lachin-Khankendi road passing through the territory of Shushi. It is alleged that she sent information, videos and photos to an Armenian intelligence officer whom she met through a Telegram channel. Some of the images are reportedly taken from different parts of Baku.
However, Fidan Aliyeva denied the accusations. She thought that the person she met in Telegram was Russian. According to her, she communicated with this person for personal reasons, not for information transfer.
“At first I didn’t know he was Armenian at all. My goal was to get to know him as an ordinary person. I had no other purpose than to provide information about Azerbaijan.”
As for the photos and videos sent, Aliyeva said that the man with whom she was communicating sometimes asked her to take photos in certain places and send them to him, which she did.
The judicial investigation into Aliyeva’s case is ongoing.
From December 12 last year until April 2023, a group of Azerbaijani citizens calling themselves eco-activists gathered on the Lachin-Khankendi road. The Armenian side accused the Azerbaijani authorities of being behind these actions and blocking the part of Karabakh where Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily stationed.
On April 23, Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road, and explained this by the illegal transportation of weapons from Armenia into Azerbaijani territory. Armenia does not accept this accusation and considers the establishment of the border checkpoint contrary to the trilateral declaration.
