Azerbaijani human rights activist Safarov has been sentenced to a long prison term.

A Baku court sentenced human rights activist Rufat Safarov to eight years in prison. Activists considered Safarov's sentence retaliation for his human rights work, and his defense intends to appeal the verdict.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 16, Rufat Safarov, executive director of the human rights organization "Line of Defense," described his criminal prosecution at a Baku court hearing as government retaliation for his human rights work. Prosecution witnesses who testified in court on March 16 failed to confirm that the victim approached Safarov to purchase a plot of land or gave him money. At the hearing on April 21, the victim acknowledged that he had no evidence of transferring money to Safarov. The victim's testimony highlighted the inadequacy of the charges, the defense pointed out. At a hearing on May 18, the prosecutor proposed a nine-year prison sentence for Safarov.

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes announced the verdict against human rights activist Rufat Safarov today, an activist present at the trial told Caucasian Knot.

“The court sentenced Rufat Safarov to eight years in a maximum-security prison colony. In his final statement, Rufat Safarov stated that he has no illusions about a fair verdict, as his case is politically motivated. Indeed, his arrest and the harsh sentence imposed on him are revenge against Safarov for his tireless human rights work. He never ignored a single instance of arbitrary treatment of citizens,” the source said.

The defense disagrees with the guilty verdict. “We insisted on Rufat Safarov’s acquittal. The court failed to prove extortion, and the charges were generally unfounded. According to the prosecution, the victim transferred 60,000 manats ($36,000) to purchase a plot of land, but real estate transactions are officially registered through a notary and supported by documents. It’s hard to believe that someone simply transferred 60,000 manats without a contract, receipt, or other confirmation. Such circumstances require very serious evidence, but neither the prosecution nor the victim were able to provide it,” lawyer Elchin Sadygov told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent. He assured that an appeal would be filed against the verdict.

Ilham Huseyn, a member of the Presidium of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), reacting to the verdict, called Rufat Safarov "one of the country's most principled human rights defenders."

"Rufat Safarov has been repeatedly arrested and tortured before, but he did not abandon his principles. Every form of lawlessness was used against a man who defends the rights of others, and he was once again imprisoned on absurd charges. The country should not be so consumed by vindictiveness, hatred, and arbitrariness. Prison should not be the answer to opposition views and dissent in this country," he wrote on social media.

An official at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes confirmed Safarov's sentence to the "Caucasian Knot," adding that both the defense and prosecution have 20 days to appeal. Representatives for the prosecution and the victim were unavailable for comment.