Azerbaijani man sentenced for ‘treason’ after talking with Armenian historian, jailed for 18 years
Igbal Abilov, an Azerbaijani scholar and lecturer at Belarusian State College, was sentenced to 18 years in jail over his on-line communication with Armenian educational Professor Garnik Asatrian, reported the Armenian Report.
The tough verdict got here after Abilov was discovered responsible of “excessive treason” and “collaborating with Armenian particular providers.” The outlet, nevertheless, reported that Asatrian is just not a political determine or army strategist. He’s a professor identified for researching languages, cultures, and ethnic histories. The professor works at Yerevan State College and the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) College.
“It’s been precisely 9 months since our son was taken from us,” Shahib Abilov, father of Igbal Abilov, advised Jam Information after his arrest. The 36-year-old jailed researcher was concerned in research concerning the nationwide tradition of the Talysh individuals in Azerbaijan. He was arrested in July 2024 on fees of treason. He reportedly exchanged messages with Asatrian over Skype, which the federal government claimed “incite interethnic hostility”.
Shahib Abilov on his son’s arrest:
Shahib Abilov recounted that his son was interrogated for hours by the State Safety Service. The authorities stated Iqbal Avilov’s cellphone was tapped regardless of him not residing in Azerbaijan.
“However then they let him go. He got here out smiling, simply as we had been used to seeing him. They advised me: ‘He’s a scholar — let him do his analysis, not get entangled in different issues.’ I replied: ‘However he isn’t concerned in anything,’” Shahib advised Jam Information.
“On 19 July, we obtained a name saying, ‘Inform him to come back to Masalli (260 km from Baku) to gather his paperwork.’ We thought — thank God, there may be justice,” he recalled.
“We arrived there and waited by the gates whereas Igbal went inside. Barely 5 minutes later, a automotive sped previous at excessive pace. We grew anxious and went inside. We requested, ‘What occurred?’ They advised us, ‘Sure, he was taken away.’ After that, we notified the Ombudsman’s Workplace and returned to Baku. There we had been formally advised that he had been arrested. ‘For what?’ I requested. They replied: ‘We don’t know. It’s a political case’,” Shahib recollected.
As per a report by the Armenian Report, Azerbaijan has tightened its safety measures and its crackdown on individuals it sees as a political risk, together with journalists and activists. Abilov’s arrest comes amid the prevailing stress between the nations following the 2020 conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijan army’s takeover of an Armenian area in 2023.
