Azerbaijani journalist calls on Pashinyan to intervene in case of man convicted of "high treason"

Previously imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli called on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to intervene in the situation surrounding Bahruz Samedov. This Azerbaijani activist was sentenced to 15 years in prison in his home country on charges of spying for Armenia.

Mukhtarli noted that the case of Samedov, known for his criticism of President Ilham Aliyev, raises serious questions, and human rights activists call it politically motivated. It is alleged that while in prison, Samedov appealed to the Armenian government for public support. Mukhtarli called on Pashinyan not to stand aside and give an official response.

Recall that in 2024, the ECHR ordered the authorities of Georgia and Azerbaijan to pay 12,500 and 8,500 euros to Afgan Mukhtarli. He fled Azerbaijan for Georgia in 2015, fearing for his safety amid corruption investigations into the family of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. On May 29, 2017, he was abducted in central Tbilisi, tied up, beaten, and forced into a car before being sent to Azerbaijan. There, he was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of illegally crossing the state border, smuggling, and resisting a government official. Following pressure from the international community, the journalist was released in March 2020.

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