Igbal Abilov, Azerbaijan
Posted April 21, 2019
Igbal Abilov, a scholar and lecturer at Belarusian State University, specializes in history and ethnography, with a focus on ethnic minorities of the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran. Mr. Abilov is an ethnic Talysh and a member of the Talysh National Academy, a consortium of academics who study the Talysh indigenous group. He was conducting research into the history and culture of the Talysh people at the time of his arrest. Read more.
Case Information
On June 22, 2024, Azerbaijani security forces detained and questioned Mr. Abilov while he was visiting Azerbaijan for a wedding; he was released later that day. On June 27, nearly a week after his detention, Azerbaijani security officials prevented Mr. Abilov from boarding a flight back to Belarus, and confiscated his passport and phones.
On July 22, security forces summoned Abilov to a local police station, purportedly to retrieve his personal items, but when he arrived, the authorities arrested him. Two days later, the Sabail District Court of Baku remanded 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.” According to a pro-government media outlet, the basis for these charges included actions that Abilov allegedly took on behalf of Armenia’s national security services, including “organising activities” against Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, “attracting disruptive forces from different countries,” and “taking action aimed at creating hatred and enmity on ethnic grounds.” The court also prohibited him and his lawyer from sharing any documents associated with the case, including with his relatives.
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, 2024, the court extended his pre-trial detention by four more months, until March 22, 2025.
On February 26, the Lankaran Serious Crimes Court began virtual hearings. Mr. Abilov’s lawyer requested an open hearing and home detention for Igbal; the court denied both requests. On May 2, the court held Mr. Abilov’s final hearing; at the end of the hearing, the prosecutor requested a 19-year prison sentence.
According to news sources, the factual bases for the charges relate to Mr. Abilov’s communications with Professor Garnik Asatryan, an Armenian professor specializing in Iranistics and Kurdology. Mr. Abilov’s lawyer denies that he committed a crime, stating that Mr. Abilov’s communications with Professor Asatryan were purely academic.
On May 20, the court found Mr. Abilov guilty of treason and sentenced him to 18 years in prison.
