Azerbaijani Researcher, Aliyev Critic Bahruz Samadov Charged With Treason – OpEd

Bahruz Samadov, a 28-year-old researcher, journalist and peace activist, was detained by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service on August 21. Samadov lived in the Czech Republic, where he studied political science as a PhD candidate. According to his acquaintance Altay Göyüşov, he returned to Baku about a month ago to visit his elderly grandmother.

Little is known about Samadov’s case from official sources besides the fact that he was detained for and subsequently charged with treason. Samadov’s personal friend and Baku resident Aykhan Zayedzadeh has been in touch with his family and his lawyer, posting detailed updates on social media until the evening of August 23 when he wrote it was too dangerous for him to continue this activity while in Azerbaijan.

According to Zayedzadeh, six state security officers entered Samadov’s family home on Wednesday night, planting drugs and confiscating laptops and mobile phones. Samadov’s grandmother told his friend that they also interrogated him last year for “being free-thinking” and criticizing the government.

Later, a public defender contacted Samadov’s family to explain that the treason accusations were related to the articles he wrote and a peace manifesto he signed.

Azerbaijani historian Altay Göyüşov said that Samadov’s arrest was part of a wider repressive campaign targeting “those who spoke out for peace and neighborly relations during the war” between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He added that Samadov was in touch with Armenian researchers and peace activists. This, too, could have influenced the Azerbaijani authorities’ decision to arrest him.

“Bahruz is a very smart, energetic and humorous person. He openly talks about Azerbaijan’s hidden problems most people choose to ignore. He has always criticized Armenophobia in Azerbaijani society and the many political and social issues we have here. He is not just a peace activist, he is also a political scientist. His academic work usually revolves around Azerbaijan's politics. It is really important because he is one of very few independent researchers who are not afraid to explain that the reality in Azerbaijan is different from how it is marketed to the outside world,” Zayedzadeh told me shortly before shutting down his support campaign under pressure from the Azerbaijani authorities.

Zayedzadeh’s last public message on the topic mentioned that Samadov was reportedly harassed, both verbally and physically, when he told the police he was Christian and asked for a copy of the Bible.

According to OC Media, a regional news outlet Samadov used to write for, he will face 12 to 20 years in prison or a life sentence if found guilty. On August 23rd, he was sent to jail where he will be awaiting trial for four months. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that another Azerbaijani peace activist, Samad Shikhi, was arrested at the airport when trying to leave the country.

Blankspot contacted the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask if they were aware of the situation with the Prague-based doctoral student. The ministry confirmed they were monitoring the situation closely and wrote that “it would not be of benefit to anyone at this stage to publicly disclose details.”

Even though Zayedzadeh was forced to stop raising awareness of his friend’s case, the #FreeBahruz support campaign he started is trending on social media. Among those reposting Samadov’s story and calling to free him are many Armenian activists and researchers.