23:29, 18 May 2026

The prosecution has requested a long prison sentence for Rufat Safarov.

At a Baku court hearing, the prosecutor proposed sentencing human rights activist Rufat Safarov to nine years in prison. The defense intends to seek Safarov's full acquittal.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 16, Rufat Safarov, executive director of the human rights organization "Line of Defense," described his criminal prosecution at a Baku court hearing as government retaliation for his human rights work. Prosecution witnesses who testified in court on March 16 did not confirm that the victim approached Safarov to purchase a plot of land or gave him money. At the hearing on April 21, the victim acknowledged that he had no evidence of any money being transferred to Safarov. The victim's testimony emphasized the inadequacy of the charges, the defense noted.

Rufat Safarov was detained in Baku on December 3, 2024, and later arrested on charges of fraud and hooliganism. According to investigators, Safarov embezzled 60,000 manat (approximately $36,000) that the victim, Natig Imanguliyev, had given him to purchase a plot of land and never received it back after the deal was cancelled. Safarov testified to the court that he had been provoked by security forces on the day of his arrest. According to Safarov, he was attacked in an underground parking garage, after which he grabbed his attacker by the belt and called for a security guard. However, a police car immediately appeared, and the human rights activist was detained.

At the hearing of Rufat Safarov's case in the Baku Court of Grave Crimes on May 18, the state prosecutor delivered his closing statement.

The prosecutor requested that Safarov be found guilty on all three charges – large-scale fraud, intentional bodily harm, and hooliganism (Articles 178.3.2, 127.2.3, and 221.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan). He proposed sentencing Safarov to nine years in prison, an activist who observed the trial told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

"Rufat Safarov was unperturbed; the prosecutor's speech only elicited a chuckle from him. Rufat joked that the number 'nine' was apparently sacred to those who ordered his arrest: he had also been sentenced to nine years in prison in a previous case," the activist said.

Rufat Safarov previously worked as an investigator for the Zerdabi District Prosecutor's Office. In September 2016, he was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of bribery. Safarov himself did not admit guilt, stating the political nature of the case. Before his arrest, he submitted his resignation in disagreement with the policies of the Azerbaijani government. In March 2019, Safarov was pardoned. A year later, he and like-minded individuals founded the human rights organization "Line of Defense."

The defense considers the prosecution's position unfounded and intends to insist on an acquittal.

"The case alleges that the victim allegedly gave Safarov 60,000 manat (US$36,000) to purchase a plot of land, but the human rights activist allegedly did not sell the plot or return the money. However, in Azerbaijan, there is a strict procedure for concluding real estate transactions: the money is deposited with a notary, and only after the seller signs the sales contract is the money transferred. It is difficult to imagine anyone handing over such a large sum of money without legal formalities," lawyer Elchin Sadigov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the next court hearing, the lawyers will make their closing arguments and outline the defense's case in detail, he noted.

An employee of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes told the "Caucasian Knot" that the next hearing in Safarov's case is scheduled for June 5. Representatives of the prosecution were unavailable for comment.

Rufat Safarov personally carried out and organized much of the work of the human rights organization "Line of Defense." His arrest would curtail the organization's ability to operate, a colleague of the human rights activist stated in December 2024. The United States and Great Britain then expressed concern over Safarov's persecution.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/423355