Azerbaijan critic Namizad Safarov denounces fraud trial as fabricated

Namizad Safarov

A prominent Azerbaijani lawyer and government critic has denounced fraud charges against him as "completely fabricated" during a court hearing in Baku on Thursday.

Namizad Safarov, 72, who has been in custody since December, is accused of large-scale fraud for allegedly taking 53,000 Azerbaijani manats (£24,600) to secure a job for a woman.

I do not even know this woman," Safarov told the Baku Grave Crimes Court. "There is no phone call, no correspondence to prove it. This is a set-up."

He added that his prosecution was direct punishment for his political activism and critical public statements against the authorities.

His defence team presented what they called clear evidence that the arrest was pre-planned, pointing to a discrepancy in the police timeline on the day of his arrest on 9 December 2025.

They told the court that police detained Safarov at 12:00, more than two hours before the alleged victim filed an official complaint at 14:03 and phoned the police emergency hotline at 14:26.

How did they know a complaint would be filed against Namizad Safarov to detain him beforehand?" one lawyer asked.

The defence urged the court to dismiss the case or transfer Safarov to house arrest, highlighting his advanced age and deteriorating health.

However, the judicial panel, presided over by Judge Mahira Karimova, rejected all defence motions. The next hearing is scheduled for 2 July.

Safarov, a former member of the Azerbaijani Bar Association who was disbarred in 2005 after criticising its leadership, is a member of the opposition group, the Azerbaijan People’s Parliament.

Human rights groups estimate there are currently 328 political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani authorities deny holding political prisoners, maintaining that all prosecutions are strictly for criminal actions.