A petition has been launched urging Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release political analyst Bahruz Samadov and other scholars arrested by the South Caucasus nation's authorities in recent months.
As of August 30, the online petition had been signed by almost 150 scholars from Azerbaijan and other nations. Samadov, a doctoral student at Charles University in Prague, was detained last week on a treason charge that he rejects.
"Samadov's doctoral research at Charles University focuses on authoritarianism and political discourses in Azerbaijan. He has been known for his critical and timely analyses of Azerbaijani current affairs, including developments surrounding the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, which have appeared on various international media outlets," the petition says, adding that Samadov has advocated for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The petition also says that the tightly controlled former Soviet republic’s government has intensified a crackdown on media, activists, and scholars whose thoughts do not coincide with those of the authorities after Baku won the 44-day war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020, and managed to regain control over the region last September.
Since last November, more than a dozen journalists working for independent media outlets -- including Abzas Media, Kanal 13, and Toplum TV -- have been arrested on charges that they, their employers, and rights groups have called politically motivated.
Among the arrested Azerbaijani scholars, the petition mentioned economists Qubad Ibadoglu, Fazil Qasimov, and Farid Mehralizade, and ethnographer Iqbal Abilov.
"The arbitrary arrest and detention of members of the academic community is incompatible with Azerbaijan’s international commitments and it is a durable stain on the country’s reputation," the petitions says.
"We believe in the value of producing independent research on Azerbaijan and do not want to see the country become a blank spot on the global knowledge map. We stand in solidarity with Bahruz Samadov and other Azerbaijani scholars who were unjustly detained simply in light of their academic activities."
The petition also calls on European Union officials, entities, and the academic community to raise awareness of the situation faced by Samadov and other Azerbaijani scholars and demand their release.
Critics of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's government say authorities in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state frequently seek to silence dissent by jailing opposition activists, journalists, and civil society advocates on trumped-up charges.
Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan with an iron fist since 2003, taking over from his father, Heydar Aliyev, who served as president for a decade.