Azerbaijan court jails prominent rights activist for eight years

Rufat Safarov

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced prominent human rights activist Rufat Safarov to eight years in prison, drawing sharp condemnation from international watchdogs.

Safarov, the executive director of the Line of Defence human rights group, was convicted of fraud and inflicting bodily harm. He has consistently denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.

The sentencing has been heavily criticised by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which described the ruling as "a further blow" to Azerbaijan's highly restricted civil society.

The activist was arrested in December 2024, just days before he was scheduled to travel to Washington to receive the Human Rights Defender Award from the US State Department.

At the time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented the award to an empty chair, using his speech to protest the activist's detention.

In his final address to the Baku Grave Crimes Court before the verdict on 12 June, Safarov accused the authorities of orchestrating a show trial.

I was unlawfully arrested, and false testimonies and expert opinions were presented against me," Safarov told the court.

He compared the current judicial atmosphere in Azerbaijan to the "1930s Stalinist troikas" — the three-member tribunals used during Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's purges.

Safarov also alleged that his arrest was ordered by the presidential administration as direct retaliation for his international recognition.

If I had not been invited to Washington... İlham Aliyev would not have triggered my arrest," he said, referring to the Azerbaijani president.

State prosecutors alleged that Safarov defrauded a man of 60,000 manats (£27,300) under the guise of selling him land, and subsequently assaulted the man during a dispute.

The court found Safarov guilty of fraud and causing minor bodily harm, though a separate charge of hooliganism was dropped. His legal team has confirmed they will appeal against the verdict.

Safarov, a former investigator for the Zardab District Prosecutor's Office, resigned from his government post in 2015 to publicly protest state corruption.

Following his resignation, he was arrested on corruption charges and sentenced to nine years in prison, before being released under a presidential pardon in 2019.

HRW said Safarov’s prosecution fits into a "broader pattern" of the Azerbaijani government using fabricated charges to silence critics, journalists, and activists.

The Azerbaijani authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Rufat Safarov, vacate the conviction, and drop all politically motivated charges against him," the group said in a statement.

It also called on Azerbaijan's international partners to pressure the government in Baku to end its crackdown on civil society.

Azerbaijani officials routinely deny allegations of human rights abuses, dismissing international criticism as biased.

The government does not recognise the term "political prisoner", though local human rights groups estimate there are currently 328 political detainees held across the country.