Former head of Yekaterinburg's Azerbaijani diaspora has been asked for a 23-year prison sentence

The prosecutor has requested a 23-year prison sentence for Shahin Shikhlinsky, the former head of Yekaterinburg's Azerbaijani diaspora. He was found guilty of murder and attempted murder of businessmen.

In total, the defendants in this case face up to 127 years in prison. The state prosecution also requested sentences for the other Azerbaijani defendants: Akif Safarov (23 years), Ayaz Safarov (22 years), Kamal Safarov (18 years), Mazahir Safarov (13 years), Bakir Safarov (13 years), and Shujayaddin Radjabov (15 years).
Shakhin Shikhlinsky is accused of organizing two murders and leading an ethnic criminal group in the Sverdlovsk region in the 2000s. He denies his guilt. His son, Mutvala Shikhlinsky, is also involved in the criminal case, accused of using violence against a law enforcement officer.

Shikhlinsky was arrested on July 1, 2025. According to investigators, the car his son was driving struck a law enforcement officer. Shikhlinsky himself stated that it was an accident and that he regretted the incident.

This followed a large-scale operation on June 27 in Yekaterinburg, during which the Safarov brothers and other Azerbaijani citizens and individuals of Azerbaijani descent suspected of involvement in previous crimes were detained. Some of the detainees were tortured, resulting in the deaths of two.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan has opened a criminal investigation into the torture and murder of Azerbaijani citizens and individuals of Azerbaijani descent. Following these events, persecution of Azerbaijani diaspora leaders, including Shikhlinsky, has reportedly increased in Russia.

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