EU condemns Azerbaijan crackdown after peace activist charged with ‘treason’

The EU has called on Azerbaijan to respect the rights of a prominent scholar jailed after publicly criticizing the government, amid a wave of arrests that has seen journalists and academics put behind bars.

Speaking to POLITICO, Peter Stano, the EU’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said Brussels was “following with concern” the case of Bahruz Samadov, “a young scholar advocating for peace in the South Caucasus” and a doctoral student at Charles University in Prague.

Azerbaijan maintains close relations with the EU and in 2022 signed a deal to step up exports of natural gas to help the bloc reduce its dependence on Russia. Later this year, it will host the COP29 U.N. climate talks, which it has said it wants to make a “COP of peace.”

Samadov was detained earlier this week and appeared Friday before a court in Baku to be charged with “treason.” If convicted, he could face life in prison, and has reportedly stated he intends to begin a hunger strike after being handed four months of pre-trial detention.

Bahruz Samadov's case:

4 months in preventive measure, his case will go on for "treason". He says he's innocent and struggles for global peace. pic.twitter.com/Gx45RZKW20

— Əməkdar Jurnalist (@NurlanLibre) August 23, 2024

“His case adds to the worrying and growing number of detentions of independent journalists, human rights defenders and civil society representatives since late last year,” said Stano.

“We reiterate our call on Azerbaijan to release all those detained for exercising their fundamental rights. We also call on Azerbaijan to ensure transparency and due process, as well as dignified and safe conditions for all those detained, including their full access to health and independent legal services,” he added.

According to Samadov’s family, he was arrested when security services raided their home on Wednesday. The 28-year-old had been critical of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian government and sought to build bridges with activists in neighboring Armenia, with which Baku fought a war in 2020.

Freedom House has warned Azerbaijan lacks an independent judiciary, which “is evident in the many trumped-up or otherwise flawed cases brought against opposition figures, activists, and critical journalists.” Dozens of civil society figures have faced disputed charges in recent months.