Appeal denied for Bahruz Samadov amid complaints of ill-treatment in prison
An appeal was filed against the detention decision of Bahruz Samadov, a young political scientist and PhD student at Charles University in the Czech Republic.
Samadov, known for his critical articles on Azerbaijani governance published in foreign media, is currently being held by the State Security Service (SST) in Azerbaijan.
On August 26, the Baku Court of Appeal reviewed the complaint against Samadov’s detention. His lawyer argued that there was no justification for his continued imprisonment, asserting that Samadov, a well-educated academic with a known address in Baku, posed no flight risk or threat to the investigation. Samadov himself has denied the treason charges, calling them baseless and asserting that the accusation of passing information to Armenian special services is unfounded.
Samadov reported harsh conditions in the detention center, including solitary confinement without access to a TV or books, and only limited phone communication with his grandmother. Despite these claims, the Baku Appellate Court upheld the Sabail District Court’s decision to impose a four-month preventive measure on Samadov for the duration of the investigation.
The charge against Samadov falls under Article 274 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, which deals with high treason and carries severe penalties, including up to 20 years or life imprisonment. Samadov, who was detained on August 21, has consistently maintained his innocence, describing himself as a pacifist and denouncing the charges as an attempt to silence him.
In relation to this case, Javid Agha, a witness in Samadov’s case, was unexpectedly detained on August 26 while en route to Lithuania. Agha later posted on Facebook that he had been asked to testify as a witness in Samadov’s case but had not been subjected to violence. Additionally, social activist and writer Samad Shikhi was detained on August 23 while traveling to Georgia. Shikhi’s family was initially left in the dark about his whereabouts, but he was later released and claimed that he had been pressured during his detention.