“My brother Safarov Bakir Mehdi oglu, who was taken from his home and arrested by local law enforcement agencies in Yekaterinburg on June 27 this year in an unfounded and violent manner, is still being illegally held in a pre-trial detention center. The torture and murder of his biological brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov by Russian law enforcement agencies, and his own encounter with great injustice and serious illegality continuing for months, have dealt severe blows to Mr. Bakir's moral and psychological state. At the same time, all of this has also undermined the physical health of 62-year-old Mr. Bakir”.
These thoughts were conveyed to Modern.az by the renowned literary critic and publicist, editor of “525-ci qəzet”, Seyfaddin Huseynli (Safarov). He stated that due to his health problems, his brother Bakir Safarov has so far only received insufficient, symptomatic medical support, typical of detention center conditions:
“However, due to high blood pressure, spinal pain, and other health problems stemming from the difficult conditions of his detention, it is a vital necessity for him to receive a comprehensive specialized examination and regular treatment.”
S. Huseynli noted that during this period, it was only possible to communicate with his brother through his lawyer, sometimes via short letters. He was not allowed to meet with family members or communicate with his relatives:
“The very limited information we received from his lawyer regarding the course of the investigation and the available investigative materials also indicates that my brother Bakir Safarov's arrest is entirely unfounded and is the result of a biased attitude in several respects. His detention in the pre-trial detention center until now is completely illegal and unjust. As far as we know, those accepted as victims and witnesses during the investigation also emphasized in their statements that Bakir Safarov has no connection whatsoever with the cases under investigation, especially with criminality, and that they know him as a true intellectual, a person of high morals, with an honest and restrained stance, and an exemplary individual.
Documents pertaining to Mr. Bakir's exemplary life path, high personal qualities, and many years of fruitful pedagogical activity as a highly educated Russian language and literature teacher, as well as guarantee-type appeals about him from people who know him closely and local institutions, have also been duly submitted to the investigative bodies.”
According to S. Huseynli, the next court hearing for his brother Bakir Safarov, as well as for the group of other compatriots arrested in Yekaterinburg on June 27, is expected to take place in the coming days:
“It is clear that this incident, perpetrated by Russian law enforcement agencies with cruelty and very serious legal violations, carries political and national motives as a ruthless indicator of a deep-seated conspiracy and malice against the Azerbaijani state and people. The supreme leadership of the Azerbaijani state, as always, adopted an extremely resolute and principled stance regarding this incident from the very first hours. Operative, purposeful, and effective steps were taken to protect the lives and rights of our compatriots subjected to oppression there. The retrieval of the bodies of my murdered brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov from the institutions there and their repatriation, as well as the reception and burial of the bodies, were organized in a manner befitting both our state and the customs and traditions of our people. Their family members were surrounded by the great attention and care of the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. Likewise, representatives of other state institutions, media and public figures, and the compassionate children of our nation showed sensitivity and care towards these families.”
S. Huseynli emphasized that the consistent policy of the Azerbaijani leader to protect the rights of our citizens and compatriots is once again yielding positive results in recent days. Persistent efforts by Russia to normalize relations, and official Moscow's insistent initiatives and steps towards normalizing ties with Azerbaijan, are clear manifestations of this. The meeting between the two heads of state held in Dushanbe on October 9, the constructive contact established, and the useful discussions conducted, represent a political engagement of high importance for the fate and protection of the rights of Azerbaijanis subjected to oppression and injustice in Russia.
In S. Huseynli's opinion, Putin's detailed report and renewed apology for the crash of our aircraft during the meeting with Mr. Ilham Aliyev can actually be considered an attempt at confession and apology related to other cruel, illegal acts committed against Azerbaijanis in Russia recently:
“As the Safarov family, we sincerely believe that the supreme leadership of the Azerbaijani state will once again demonstrate its principled stance for the earliest possible release of my brother Bakir Safarov through a fair judicial process. It will ensure that the Russian side takes the necessary steps without delay to realize this on a legal basis and restore justice. Thanks to the attention and consistent measures of our state, we also have great hopes that the relevant Russian authorities will objectively investigate the murder of Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, punish those responsible, and ensure that an apology is extended to their families and material and moral compensation is paid. Furthermore, we wish for the issue of our other compatriots detained there to be fairly considered and their rights restored, remaining under the continuous attention of the Azerbaijani state, and we are hopeful that this will be the case.”
