Mirhafiz Mirisaq oglu Jafarzade – public activist Date of arrest: 11 November 2022 90 Charge: Articles 274 (High treason) and 283.1 (The actions directed on excitation of national, racial, social or religious hate and hostility, humiliation of national advantage, as well as actions directed on restriction of citizens rights, or establishment of the superiority of citizens on the basis of their national or racial, social belonging, creeds committed publicly, including with use of mass media) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 12 November 2022, the Baku City Sabayil District Court issued a ruling: to apply a preventive measure against Mirhafiz Jafarzade in the form of arrest for a period of 4 months.
The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended times Sentence: On 10 October 2024, the Baku City Grave Crimes Court sentenced to 16 years in prison Judge: Sabina Mammadzade Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center of the State Security Service Conclusion: Mirhafiz Jafarzade (born in 1966) was born in Babakucha village in the Lerik district of Azerbaijan and was an orientalist by profession, took an active part in the social and political life of the country.
In 1995, he left for Russia and occasionally came to Azerbaijan, but was still interested in the situation in his historical homeland.
In particular, he was an active defender of the Talysh language and advocated for the creation of school textbooks in Talysh.
Thus, he attracted the attention of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan (SSS).
In September 2021, M.
Jafarzade visited once again Azerbaijan and while trying to fly back to Russia was arrested by SSS officers at the Baku airport.
During the interrogation he was asked about Talysh activists living in Azerbaijan and Russia and tried to recruit him.
After that M.
Jafarzade was released and flew away.
Then, during the year, SSS officers repeatedly called Jafarzadeh demanding him to collaborate with them providing all information about Talysh activists.
But he categorically refused to do it.
The SSS reaction was predictable: when M.
Jafarzadeh arrived again in Azerbaijan on 11 November 2022, he was immediately arrested on standard charges regarding Talysh activists of treason against the homeland and incitement of national and racial hate.
Prior to the trial, the SSS officers distributed a video on social networks featuring M.
Jafarzadeh pleading guilty.
However, later during the trial, M.
Jafarzade stated that the video had been edited and that different parts of it had been cut and manipulated: “On the video, I told the SSS officers that I had been innocent, but they edited the video to create an image that allegedly said – I have pleaded guilty.
If they are right, let them air the video without editing.” At the trial, M.
Jafarzade pleaded not guilty to the charges and called them ‘absurd’.
He also testified that the evidence of his case was fabricated by the SSS.
However, the Court considered M.
Jafarzade's testimony as defence.
Afterwards, the Court sentenced M.
Jafarzade to 16 years of imprisonment with serving the sentence in a strict regime institution. 91
