A verdict has been delivered against the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Modern.az reports, citing Russian media, that the Kirov District Court of the city has delivered a verdict in a criminal case against Shahin Shikhlinksi, the former leader of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals, and 6 other Azerbaijanis. According to the information, Shikhlinksi was found guilty of murder and attempted assassination of businessmen and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Other defendants in the case were also sentenced to long prison terms. Akif Safarov was sentenced to 21 years in prison, Ayaz Safarov to 20 years, and Kamal Safarov to 14 years. All three will spend their first four years in prison.
The only person who pleaded guilty, Mazahir Safarov, was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Bakir Safarov was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Shujayaddin Rajabov was sentenced to 14 years in prison based on his overall sentences. All three will also spend their first four years in prison. Meanwhile, the state prosecution sought harsher penalties for the defendants.
On February 11, the jury, including Shikhlinksi, was found guilty of the murder of businessman Yunus Pashayev (2001) and the attempted murder of Fehruz Shirinov (2010). According to allegations, the motives for the crimes were the division of business and the struggle for leadership. The court proceedings were held behind closed doors.
It should be recalled that in the summer of 2025, repressions were organized against the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals, and 2 members of the Safarov family were killed during arrests. Although Azerbaijan confirmed that the deaths occurred as a result of torture, Russia provided biased information stating that they died of heart failure.
Last December, the Yekaterinburg court also arrested Vidadi Mustafayev, the head of the local Azerbaijani community, on charges of large-scale fraud. He had replaced Shahin Shikhlinksi in this position three months prior.
