Azerbaijani researcher reportedly arrested in Baku for treason

Azerbaijani scientist Bahruz Samadov was reportedly arrested in Baku on charges of treason. Samadov is an outspoken critic of the government and frequently writes about Azerbaijani politics.

Reports of Samadov's missing person case emerged Wednesday evening when friends and colleagues reported that Samadov had not shown up for scheduled meetings and had not responded to messages.

On Thursday morning, Samadov's family confirmed to friends and media that he had been arrested on Wednesday evening and the family's apartment had been searched.

Neither the police nor the Interior Ministry have yet commented on Samadov's whereabouts.

Azerbaijani journalist Nurlan Libre said OC Media that Samadov's grandmother, with whom the researcher had been staying, had confirmed that her house had been searched and that Samadov had been arrested on charges of treason. He expressed fears that Samadov may have been tortured, given the silence since his arrest at around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Colleagues and acquaintances also pointed out that Samadov had previously been pressured by the Azerbaijani government to pursue his research.

Aykhan Zayedzadeh, a friend of Samadov, told OC Media that Samadov had planned a meeting with a friend for 5:00 p.m. and was last seen active on Telegram at 7:27 p.m.

“We could not find any information about him for over 13 hours,” Zayedzadeh said.

He added that Samadov joked about his arrest in a message sent that afternoon.

“He always joked about a possible arrest, but this time he wrote at length,” Zayedzadeh said. “He said he would probably end up in prison for 'treason.'”

Bahruz is a doctoral student at Charles University in Prague and has frequently OC Media.

This article is constantly updated.

Correction: This article originally stated that Samadov was arrested on drug charges. Samadov's grandmother later clarified that Samadov was arrested on suspicion of treason.