07 January 2025, 23:16
Mother of human rights defender Safarov manages to leave Azerbaijan
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan has lifted the ban on leaving the country from Takhira Takhirgyzy, the mother of Rufat Safarov, the arrested human rights defender.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the police had banned Rufat Safarov's mother from leaving Azerbaijan, preventing her from accompanying her seriously ill husband to Turkey for medical treatment. The woman refused to testify in her son's case and demanded an explanation of the reasons for the ban.
On December 3, 2024, Rufat Safarov, the executive director of the human rights organization "Defence Line" was detained in Baku, despite his 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 Meydan TV journalists. Safarov was accused of embezzling money from Natig Imamguliev, who had transferred funds for buying a land plot and didn't have it back when the deal had failed. Safarov claimed that his criminal case was fabricated.
"Literally a few hours before the flight, I was informed that the ban on my foreign travel had been lifted. My husband Eldar Sabiroglu and I were able to leave for Turkey. We've arrived in Istanbul and are preparing to go to the clinic where Eldar undergoes examination and treatment every six months for Parkinson's disease," Takhira Takhirgyzy has reported.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 7, 2025 at 09:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: СK correspondent
