Azerbaijan opposition bodyguard claims stabbing case is police trap

Kenan Zeynalov

An Azerbaijani opposition activist on trial for stabbing has accused police of orchestrating a trap after officers arrived immediately at the scene of the alleged incident.

Kenan Zeynalov, a volunteer bodyguard for opposition leader Ali Kerimli, denies stabbing Anar Rahimov in the capital, Baku, in March last year.

During a court hearing on Monday, Mr Zeynalov's defence lawyer requested the victim's mobile phone records to investigate who he had contacted on the day of the incident.

We think this was a pre-arranged plan," defence lawyer Nazim Musayev told Baku Grave Crimes Court. "How did the police arrive immediately after this happened?"

The court rejected the defence requests.

Mr Zeynalov, a member of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), was arrested on 21 March 2025.

He faces charges of hooliganism and inflicting grievous bodily harm, which carry a maximum prison sentence of 11 years.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Zeynalov stabbed Mr Rahimov during a street argument before being detained by police.

However, Mr Zeynalov told the court he did not stab anyone. He said the man approached him in the street, screamed, fell to the ground, and police officers immediately appeared at the scene.

The defence also pointed out that while the victim claimed he had been stabbed two or three times, an official medical report identified only one injury.

Mr Rahimov has not attended the court hearings, a move the defence claims shows a lack of interest in the investigation.

We want to know why he is not coming to court," Mr Musayev said. "We have questions for him."

The trial is expected to conclude on 25 June, when the prosecutor will demand a sentence.

Mr Kerimli, the AXCP leader, described the arrest of his bodyguard as an "extraordinary framing".

Anyone who knows Kenan knows he is extremely polite, friendly, and never prone to violence," Mr Kerimli said.

More than 15 members of the AXCP are currently detained in Azerbaijan. The opposition party says all the arrests are politically motivated, noting that several detainees had previously served as bodyguards or drivers for Mr Kerimli.

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

Azerbaijani officials deny holding political prisoners, maintaining that those on trial have been prosecuted for specific criminal offences rather than their political activities.