Jailed scholar Iqbal Abilov sues Azerbaijani media for defamation

Iqbal Abilov

An imprisoned Azerbaijani ethnic minority researcher has launched a defamation lawsuit against four domestic media outlets, accusing them of violating his presumption of innocence following his high treason conviction.

Iqbal Abilov, the chief editor of the Talysh National Academy News, appeared at the Yasamal District Court in Baku on Tuesday. His civil action targets state-aligned broadcaster ATV, the Trend news agency, and news portals Hit.az and Qafqazinfo.

Mr Abilov is demanding a public apology, the right of reply, and 6,000 manats (£2,700) in moral damages. He alleges the outlets falsely accused him of collaborating with Armenian intelligence services immediately after his arrest.

No representatives from the defendant media organisations attended the open court session.

During the hearing, Mr Abilov’s lawyer, Raksana Rahimli, filed several motions, including a request for the researcher to sit next to his defence counsel rather than inside the defendant's metal cage. The judge denied the request.

However, the court accepted a petition for Mr Abilov to speak in his native Talysh language, appointing local educator Oqtay Asgarov as an interpreter for the next hearing.

The judge had initially claimed the court could not provide an interpreter. This prompted Ms Rahimli to point out that the state had previously provided translation services during Mr Abilov's criminal trials in Lankaran and Shirvan.

Mr Abilov attended the hearing wearing a black T-shirt bearing an image of the late Talysh national poet Ali Nasir, alongside a couplet reading: "The day a nation loses its head, it earns the death sentence of its homeland."

Last year, Mr Abilov was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Lankaran Grave Crimes Court on charges of high treason, inciting national hatred, and making public appeals against the state on behalf of foreign organisations.

The Belarus-based scholar, who was detained in July 2024 while visiting relatives in Azerbaijan, denies all charges, insisting his work is purely academic.

His defence committee said his "only crime" was scientific objectivity and protecting minority cultural heritage. United Nations (UN) rapporteurs and international human rights groups have classified Mr Abilov as a political prisoner.

The court adjourned the civil trial until 11 August.