Azerbaijani political analyst charged with treason
Bahruz Samadov case in Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan, Bahruz Samadov, a young activist and political analyst, and PhD candidate at Charles University in Prague, has been arrested on charges of treason. Samadov denies the accusations, stating in court, “I only wanted peace. I have not betrayed my country.”
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On August 23, the Sabail District Court in Baku ordered a 4-month pretrial detention for activist Bahruz Samadov, who is accused of treason under Article 274 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.
According to the pro-government news agency Report, “during the trial, the names of Armenian citizens to whom Samadov allegedly passed information and from whom he received orders were mentioned.”
Bahruz Samadov is a graduate of the Central European University’s International Relations Faculty and a doctoral candidate in Political Science at Charles University. As a young political scientist, he explores hegemony and political discourses in Azerbaijan, drawing on poststructuralist and psychoanalytic theories.
He is also a contributor to “OC Media” and the “Baku Research Institute” and is known for his critical articles about the Azerbaijani government.
Samadov has been actively involved in peacebuilding projects implemented by various international organizations.
Samadov left his home and disappeared on the evening of August 21. His friends and family were unable to contact him. Later, Zibeida Osmanova, Samadov’s grandmother, reported that people claiming to be from Azerbaijan’s State Security Service came to their home and searched the apartment. Osmanova said that these individuals took documents, books, and her grandson’s computers from the apartment.
For nearly two days, law enforcement agencies neither confirmed nor denied Samadov’s detention, nor did they respond to inquiries from his family and friends.
According to his lawyer, Zibeida Sadigova, the investigation justified Bahruz Samadov’s arrest by claiming that since he is studying abroad, he might flee.
“We argued that he has no intention of hiding. Bahruz himself stated that he is innocent and has never betrayed his country. He emphasized that he is a peaceful person, a Christian, and that his religion promotes peace. He only wanted peace,” said Sadigova.
Despite this, the court granted the prosecution’s request for his detention. The defense plans to appeal.
Sadygova also mentioned that Samadov reported being pressured during his arrest, and the court ordered the prosecutor’s office to investigate the matter.
On August 23, the faculty and staff of Charles University issued a statement regarding the arrest of Bahruz Samadov:
“The academic community of Charles University is following with concern the news of the arrest of Bahruz Samadov, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The management of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University together with the management of Charles University are working intensively to gather information from verified sources. Charles University has also approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic with a request for cooperation”.
