Detained Activist Attempts Suicide in Protest Against 16-Year Sentence Request

“He tried to hang himself; a fellow inmate saved him at the last moment”

Bahruz Samedov, a peace activist currently in detention, attempted suicide in protest after the state prosecutor requested a 16-year prison sentence for him during a court hearing on June 20.

His grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova, told Meydan TV:

“I visited Bahruz at 11 a.m. today. We were not allowed a private conversation — a guard was present the entire time. We spoke for 10 minutes under supervision. He told me that, because of the 16-year sentence requested against him, he tried to take his own life. He tried to hang himself, and a fellow inmate saved him at the last moment.”

According to Osmanova, they were later taken to see Elnur Ismayilov, the head of Baku Pretrial Detention Center No. 1, where Bahruz is currently being held:

“The warden told Bahruz to stop these actions and end his hunger strike. Bahruz replied that he is innocent and asked why they are trying to give him 16 years. He said he would not end his hunger strike.”

On June 20, during the latest court session in Bahruz Samedov’s case, the state prosecutor requested a 16-year sentence. It was revealed on June 21 that Samedov had started a death fast on June 19 in protest of his detention.

Bahruz Samedov is a doctoral student at Charles University in the Czech Republic. He is known for his research on the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and for his writings critical of the Azerbaijani government.

He was arrested on August 21, 2024, by officers of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service. The Sabail District Court placed him in pretrial detention on charges of high treason under Article 274 of the Criminal Code.

Samedov denies the charges and maintains his innocence, stating that the treason accusation is fabricated. He has said there is no evidence to support claims that he collaborated with Armenian intelligence. Samedov emphasizes that he is a pacifist and opposes war, and that his speeches and articles reflect these beliefs. He asserts that he is being silenced through a sham charge because of his peace advocacy.