05 January 2025, 22:15
Mother of human rights defender Safarov banned from leaving Azerbaijan
The police have banned the mother of the arrested human rights defender, Rufat Safarov, from leaving Azerbaijan, thus preventing her from accompanying her seriously ill husband to Turkey for medical treatment.
On December 3, 2024, Rufat Safarov, the executive director of the human rights organization "Defence Line" was detained in Baku, despite the advocates' arguments about the groundlessness of the criminal prosecution and the health problems of Rufat's father. After his arrest, Safarov criticized authorities for persecuting the "Meydan TV" journalists.
Rufat Safarov is accused of embezzling money from Natig Imamguliev, who transferred the funds for the purchase of a land plot and never received them back when the deal failed. Safarov said that the criminal case was fabricated.
Takhira Takhirgizi, Rufat's mother, has reported that due to the imposed restriction, she cannot accompany her seriously ill husband to Turkey for examination and treatment; the trip is disrupted because his health condition does not allow him to make the trip alone.
"Eldar Sabiroglu, Rufat's father, suffers from a severe form of Parkinson's disease. Both President Ilham Aliev and Mehriban Alieva, the First Lady, know about this. Several years ago, we wanted to sell our apartment in order to pay for Eldar's surgery. The President and his wife, without our request, showed humanism and ensured that my husband had an operation in Turkey at the state's expense, taking into account his activities for the benefit of our country ... But today it became known that the Azeri Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has banned me from leaving the country," Ms Takhirgizi has stated.
Rufat Safarov is the son of Eldar Sabiroglu (Safarov), one of the founders of the ruling "Eni Azerbaijan" (New Azerbaijan) Party. He headed the press service of the Azeri Ministry of Defence (MoD), but was dismissed from this position in 2013. Eldar Sabiroglu publicly criticized Ramiz Mekhtiev, a former head of the presidential administration, accusing him of "political intrigues" and discrediting the policies of President Ilham Aliev.
Takhira Takhirgizi believes that the decision of the Azeri MIA to ban her from leaving the country is against the law. "This decision is also wrong from the humanistic viewpoint. My son was arrested on trumped-up charges and now his sick father is being tortured," she has stated.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 4, 2025 at 11:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: СK correspondent
