Azerbaijani security forces have opened a case against the son of the leader of the Muslim Unity Party.

A criminal case has been opened in Azerbaijan against the minor son of Taleh Bagirzade, the imprisoned leader of the Muslim Unity movement. He is accused of beating a classmate, but the teenager's mother claimed her son was provoked.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the pretrial detention of Taleh Bagirzade and his supporters, Zulfugar Mikayilov and Elman Aghazade, was unlawful. The court ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay each of them €3,900 in compensation for moral damages and an additional €500 in legal costs.

The APA news agency reported on the incident involving Baghirzade's son on April 8, citing sources. A teenager provoked a conflict and injured a girl, a resident of the village of Buzovna, by punching her. "In connection with the incident, the victim's family members contacted law enforcement agencies. A criminal case has been opened at the police station on this incident," the report said.

However, the wife of the DME leader, Leyla Ismailzade, stated that her 17-year-old son was provoked. According to her, the incident occurred on April 7, on the school playground. “The kids were playing volleyball. One of the students started swearing in front of the girls, and my 15-year-old son pointed out that such behavior was unacceptable. After this student left, another classmate and his cousin showed up on the court and deliberately continued the conflict: they started insulting my son with obscenities and punching him,” Ismailzade told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

The 15-year-old’s 17-year-old brother stood up for him. “When my other son was informed that his brother had been beaten, he came to the court and tried to understand the reasons for the attack on his brother. The girl who hit my son said she was ‘sick’ and should be left alone. She attacked my son and punched him twice. My son was forced to defend himself and responded to the girl, causing her nose to bleed,” Ismailzade said.

She emphasized that As a result of the incident, her 15-year-old son also sustained injuries, and a medical examination confirmed bruises and abrasions.

Ismailzade linked the criminal case against her son to the fighting in the Middle East. "My husband, Taleh Baghirzade, believes that the criminal case against our son is part of this campaign. This also puts pressure on my husband, who expresses his views on political events even from prison. The media, spreading distorted information about the incident, emphasized that Taleh Baghirzade's son was the participant. Framing a minor as the culprit of the incident is not only unethical, but also, as lawyers have told me, violates the presumption of innocence of my son," Ismailzade said.

She noted that despite the opening of a criminal case against her son, no preventive measures have yet been taken.