Release academic Igbal Abilov, wrongfully imprisoned for one year
Posted July 22, 2025
Scholars at Risk sent the below letter to Azerbaijani authorities, urging them to secure the immediate release of Dr. Igbal Abilov. Take action by signing a letter here.
Via email
The Honorable Ilham Aliyev
President of Azerbaijan
Office of the President of Azerbaijan
July 22, 2025
RE: Release academic Igbal Abilov, wrongfully imprisoned for one year
Your Excellency:
I write on behalf of Scholars at Risk to respectfully urge you to secure the immediate release of Igbal Abilov, a researcher and lecturer at Belarusian State University, on the one-year anniversary of his arrest. Dr. Abilov was arrested in July 2024 and later sentenced to 18 years in prison in apparent retaliation for his research on ethnic minorities across the region.
Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of more than 600 universities and colleges in over 40 countries dedicated to protecting the human rights of scholars around the world, and to raising awareness, understanding of, and respect for the principles of academic freedom and its constituent freedoms of expression, opinion, thought, association, and travel.
Igbal Abilov, a researcher and lecturer at Belarusian State University, specializes in history and ethnography, with a focus on ethnic minorities of the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran. Dr. Abilov is an ethnic Talysh and a member of the Talysh National Academy, a consortium of academics who study the Talysh indigenous group. SAR understands that he was conducting research into the history and culture of the Talysh people at the time of his arrest.
SAR understands that on June 22, 2024, Azerbaijan security forces detained and questioned Dr. Abilov while he was conducting field research; he was released later that day. Nearly one week after his detention, Azerbaijani border officials prevented Dr. Abilov from boarding a flight back to Belarus, confiscating his passport and phones. One month later, on July 22, security forces summoned him to a local police station, purportedly to retrieve his personal items, but when he arrived, the authorities arrested him. SAR further understands that two days later, the Sabail District Court of Baku remanded Dr. Abilov to four months in pretrial detention on several charges, including “high treason,” “foreign-agent-instructed public appeals against state,” and “incitement of ethnic hatred.” The court also prohibited him from sharing any documents associated with the case, including with his lawyer and relatives.
SAR further understands that on July 31 and August 7, the court denied appeals respectively challenging the order detaining him, and the order prohibiting him from sharing documents associated with the case. On November 19, the court extended his pre-trial detention by four more months, until March 22, 2025. We understand that on February 26, the Lankaran Serious Crimes Court began virtual hearings. Dr. Abilov’s lawyer requested an open hearing and home detention for him; the court denied both requests. On May 2, the court held Dr. Abilov’s final hearing; at the end of the hearing, the prosecutor requested a 19-year prison sentence. On May 20, the court found Dr. Abilov guilty of treason and sentenced him to 18 years in prison.
According to news sources, the bases for the charges relate to Dr. Abilov’s communications with Professor Garnik Asatryan, an Armenian professor specializing in Iranistics and Kurgology. Dr. Abilov’s lawyer denies that he committed a crime, stating that Dr. Abilov’s communications with Professor Asatryan were purely academic.
We welcome any additional information that may clarify our understanding of these events. Absent this, the facts appear to indicate that Dr. Abilov was charged and sentenced as a result of his peaceful exercise of the rights to academic freedom and freedom of expression–conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Azerbaijan is a party. Any charges for what we can only assume–absent clear public evidence from the state–to be nonviolent expressive conduct is clearly excessive and contrary to international standards. Detentions and prosecutions in response to scholarly activity raise serious concerns about protection for free expression, academic freedom, and the higher education space in Azerbaijan.
SAR therefore respectfully urges you to direct the appropriate authorities to intervene and ensure that any charges related to Dr. Abilov’s peaceful academic activities are reversed. In the interim, we ask that you ensure his access to family, and guarantee that his case is addressed in a manner consistent with internationally recognized standards of due process, fair trial, and detention, in accordance with Azerbaijan’s obligations under international law.
We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Robert Quinn
Executive Director
CC:
Colonel-General Eyvazov Vilayat Süleymanoğlu
Minister of Internal Affairs
7 Azerbaijan Ave,
Baku, AZ1005, Azerbaijan
The Honorable Khazar Ibrahim
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States
2741 34th St
NW, Washington, DC 20008 USA
The Honorable Yashar Aliyev
Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations
633 3rd Ave #3210
New York, NY 10017 USA
The Honorable António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Honorable Volker Türk
High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Honorable Michael O’Flaherty
Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe
The Honorable Kaja Kallas
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
European Commission
The Honorable Kajsa Ollongren
EU Special Representative (EUSR) for human rights
European Council
The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520 USA
The Honorable Mounir Satouri
Chairperson
European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI)
Azerbaijan Office
Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Honorable Magdalena Grono
EUSR for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia
European Union External Action