Imprisoned Azerbaijani scholar Iqbal Abilov 'tortured in Baku jail'

Iqbal Abilov

An imprisoned Azerbaijani scholar and ethnic minority activist has been tortured in a Baku detention facility after protesting during a court hearing, his defence committee and family say.

Iqbal Abilov, the editor-in-chief of the Talysh National Academy News journal who is serving an 18-year sentence, was allegedly tied to an iron bed and beaten in solitary confinement.

The 37-year-old’s supporters say he was punished for wearing a T-shirt featuring verses by national poet Ali Nasir during a court appearance on 7 July.

The verse read: "The day a nation loses its mind, it earns the death sentence of its homeland."

His family said they were denied a scheduled visit and a food parcel on 9 July, while his lawyer, Fariz Namazli, was also barred from seeing him.

Mr Namazli said he was told his client had been placed in a solitary disciplinary cell, known locally as a "kars", but prison authorities refused to provide a specific reason.

The allegations of physical abuse emerge as Azerbaijani courts rejected two separate legal complaints by Mr Abilov this week regarding his treatment in state custody.

On 13 July, a closed court in Qaradağ rejected his complaint over forced medical examinations, physical abuse, and alleged ethnic discrimination at the Umbakı Penitentiary.

His defence team argued that prosecutors failed to properly investigate the claims, noting they did not interview key witnesses, order a medical examination, or request CCTV footage.

A day later, a court in Shirvan dismissed another appeal over alleged threats, inhumane conditions, and a denial of legal counsel at a local police detention facility in October 2025.

Mr Abilov plans to appeal both decisions.

Azerbaijan's interior ministry and state prosecution have not commented on the specific allegations.

However, state officials consistently deny claims of torture or ethnic discrimination within the country's penitentiary system, describing such accusations as groundless.

The civil court hearing on 7 July was the first session of a defamation lawsuit brought by Mr Abilov against several local media outlets, which he accuses of violating his presumption of innocence. Representatives for the media organizations did not attend the hearing.

Mr Abilov, who had lived in Belarus since childhood, was arrested by the State Security Service (DTX) in June 2024 during a family visit to Azerbaijan.

He was subsequently convicted of treason, state hostility, and inciting ethnic hatred by the Lankaran Grave Crimes Court, receiving an 18-year prison term.

Mr Abilov denies all charges, maintaining that his prosecution is a politically motivated attempt to suppress his academic research into the history and culture of the Talysh ethnic minority.