He was detained by Azerbaijani authorities in August 2024 and arrested under Article 274 (treason) of the Criminal Code.[1] His arrest was strongly criticized by a number of local and international institutions.[2][3][4] He is currently being held in the detention center of theAzerbaijani State Security Service (SSS). In June 2025, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[5]
Bahruz Valeh oghlu Samadov was born on 29 April 1995 inBaku,Azerbaijan. In 2001–2012, he studied at secondary school number 251 inNizami District. In 2012, he was admitted to the Faculty of Philology of theBaku branch of Moscow State University [ru] named afterM.V. Lomonosov and graduated with honors in 2016. In 2016–2018, he received a master's degree in philology at the same university, and in 2018–2019, he received a master's degree in international relations at theCentral European University inHungary.[6] Since 2019, he is a doctoral student of the political science department of the Prague Institute of Political Studies ofCharles University,Czech Republic.[7]
Bahruz Samadov became a member of theAzerbaijani Popular Front Party in 2013, and during thepresidential elections of that year, he actively participated in the campaign of the candidate of theNational Council,Jamil Hasanli. In 2013–2020, he was a member of theNİDA Civic Movement, and in 2017–2018, he was represented in the Board of Directors of NİDA. On 1 November 2015, on the ballot paper used during the parliamentary elections, he wrote the names ofpolitical prisoners and "Freedom for political prisoners!". A day later, he was summoned to the Baku City General Police Department for writing the slogan. In the office, the police pressured Samadov to apologize for writing a slogan in the bulletin. He was released after being detained for almost 3 hours.[8]
Samadov has repeatedly participated in opposition rallies and civil society's protests. On 9 September 2020, he was detained by the police during the protests demanding for release of the political prisonerTofig Yagublu.[9]
In 2020, Bahruz Samadov spoke out against the military operations that took place during theSecond Nagorno-Karabakh war,post-war period,Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis and2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.[20] Samadov stated that he saw the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in peace,[21] and criticized the war crimes that took place during the military operations. Samadov's articles on war and peace were repeatedly "targeted" by the pro-government media, and Samadov was insulted by being called a "traitor" and "pro-Armenian".[22]
In April 2021, in the article titledAzerbaijani authoritarianism and Baku's Military Trophy Park published on theEurasianet independent news platform, Samadov called the display of helmets of dead Armenian soldiers in theMilitary Trophy Park as dehumanizing, criticizing the presentation ofArmenians as enemies by the Azerbaijani authorities for decades. Also, he was framed by the pro-government news sites as a "traitor" and "pro-Armenian" because[23][24][25] he wrote that "Armenians receive a close attitude tofascism in Azerbaijan" in his 2023 article titledAzerbaijan needs an alternative to nationalistic militarism published inOC Media.[26]
In an interview withOC Media in April 2023, Samadov called what happened in theLachin corridor "a siege" and stated that the main goal of this was to clearNagorno-Karabakh of Armenians. Bahruz Samadov is a researcher on hegemony and political discourses in Azerbaijan, as well as issues ofidentity, political stability andpopulism based onpost-structuralist andpsychoanalytical theories.
Bahruz Samadov being brought to Sabail District Court.
Bahruz Samadov was arrested in August 2024.[27] On 21 August, his friends reported in thesocial network that they could not hear anything from Bahruz Samadov for more than 6 hours. His friend, Aykhan Zayedzadeh, said that at around 16:25 (UTC+04:00), Samadov sent him a message onTelegram that he would be arrested.[28][29][30] After this message, nothing could be heard from him.[31] According to his grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova, on 21 August, around 16:00, Samadov left the house to meet a friend of his.[32] About half an hour later, 5–6 people came to their house, introduced themselves as employees of theState Security Service (SSS) and said that there was a complaint about Samadov'sillegal drug dealing.[32] During the search, they took Samadov's computer, documents, diplomas, and a book with Samadov's article written in English.[32][33] Later, apublic defender named Vafa called Osmanova and said that Samadov was suspected of "high treason" because of his correspondence withArmenians and his articles written "with the order of Armenians".[32] Neither his family nor the lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova, hired by his family to protect his rights, were informed about Bahruz Samadov for 2 days.[34] On 23 August, Bahruz Samadov was charged with Article 274 (treason) of the Criminal Code, and by the decision of the Sabail District Court, a preventive measure of 4 months was chosen.[35][36] Bahruz Samadov, who denied the accusations,[37] stated that he was subjected to psychological and physical violence in the SSS. He is currently being held in the detention center of the SSS.[38]
The arrest of Bahruz Samadov was severely criticized by a number of local and international institutions. TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic stated that it was concerned about his arrest and was closely monitoring the situation.[39]European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Peter Stano said thatBrussels follows the case of Bahruz Samadov "with concern", referring him to as a "young scientist who defends peace in theSouth Caucasus" and PhD student ofCharles University inPrague. He also called on Azerbaijan to respect the rights of a well-known scientist who was arrested after criticizing the government against the background of the wave of arrests of journalists and social activists behind bars. In its appeal,Freedom House requested the Azerbaijani government to stop the criminal prosecution of political scientist Bahruz Samadov and called on him and other critics of the government to be released.[40] Also, the administration of Charles University, where Samadov studied, expressed concern about his arrest and was monitoring the proceedings.[41]
Noted Azerbaijani historianAltay Goyushov [az] stated that Samadov's arrest was part of a wider wave of repression aimed against the "supporters of peace and good-neighborly relations during the conflict"between Azerbaijan and Armenia.[42]
On 23 June 2025, Samadov was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[43]
International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) issued a statement condemning the imprisonment of bothIgbal Abilov and Bahruz Samadov "in retaliation for their academic work and activism.”[44] Other human rights and academic organisations also issued statements condemning the arrest and sentencing and calling for his release.[45][46]
Amnesty International issued a call to action describing his arrest and sentencing under “false charges" and "apparently part of a campaign to suppress criticism”, calling for his release.[47][48]
A joint statement was issued byEuropean Parliament instances condemning the "harsh prison sentences" in "politically motivated cases".[49]
Human Rights Watch condemned the imprisonment and sentencing "on bogus high treason charges" in what it described as Azerbaijani authorities' "relentless crackdown on critics".[51]
United Nations experts called for his release, expressing deep concerns that "the arrests and trial of Abilov and Samadov have equated academic research, advocacy for peace and the promotion of a minority’s cultural identity with high treason,”[52]
^"Bahruz Samadov".International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society. 25 August 2024.Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved25 August 2024.
.jpg)
Media related toBahruz Samadov at Wikimedia Commons