Azerbaijani convicted of espionage in Iran released
Jailed Azerbaijani released in Iran
Farid Safarli, a citizen of Azerbaijan, has been released from an Iranian prison and returned to his homeland.
The news was announced late on January 20 in a joint statement by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (SSS) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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“Under the directive of the President of Azerbaijan, Farid Gabil oglu Safarli, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan detained in Iran in 2023, was returned to Azerbaijan on January 18 this year as part of international legal cooperation,” the joint press release from the two agencies stated.
Following a medical examination, Safarli reunited with his family, the statement added.
Farid Safarli, born in 1997, graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) and later pursued a master’s degree at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany.
In March 2023, Safarli went missing in Iran, where he had traveled to meet an acquaintance from his studies. Iranian authorities later confirmed his arrest on charges of espionage.
The charges were later reduced and reclassified as “intent to commit espionage.” In August 2023, Safarli was sentenced to two years in prison. In November of the same year, an Iranian appeals court upheld the sentence.
At the time of his release, Safarli had only two months remaining on his sentence.
Jailed Azerbaijani released in Iran
