Azerbaijan Launches Homicide Probe
On Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office initiated a criminal investigation into what it termed the “cruel and intentional murder” of two Azerbaijani citizens during a police operation conducted in Russia. This decision follows autopsy results that revealed the individuals died from severe injuries sustained while in custody.
The brothers, Ziyaddin Safarov, 55, and Huseyn Safarov, 60, were among 50 people detained last Friday in Yekaterinburg.
Russian authorities reported that six ethnic Azerbaijani men with Russian citizenship—four of whom share the surname Safarov—were arrested as part of murder investigations connected to cases from the early 2000s. They noted that one detainee experienced a fatal heart attack during the operation and indicated that inquiries into the second death are still ongoing.
The remains of the Safarov brothers were sent to Baku on Monday and examined later that night. Azerbaijani prosecutors disclosed that autopsy findings showed their deaths stemmed from significant blood loss and shock due to extensive physical trauma, including broken ribs and internal injuries.
“A criminal investigation has been launched… regarding the torture and brutal killing of Azerbaijani citizens and those of Azerbaijani descent within the Russian Federation,” an official statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office declared.
“Neither brother was fatally harmed by sharp objects or firearms; they suffered blunt force injuries,” stated Adalat Hasanov, Azerbaijan’s chief medical examiner, during a press conference.
This event has heightened diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Baku, leading Azerbaijan to cancel visits from Russian officials and suspend cultural events linked to Russia within its territory. Additionally, Azerbaijani law enforcement has detained at least two employees of Russian state media related to this incident.
In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador over what it described as the “unlawful detention of Russian journalists.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed reporters on Tuesday that Moscow is “closely monitoring” developments regarding the arrest of these media personnel, reportedly including two editors from Sputnik Azerbaijan.
“We hope direct negotiations with our Azerbaijani counterparts will lead to their prompt release,” Peskov commented. “Such actions against media representatives fundamentally violate universally accepted norms and standards as well as the core principles guiding Russian-Azerbaijani relations.”
Peskov characterized Baku’s reaction as “extremely emotional” and expressed hope that dialogue with Azerbaijani officials could ease tensions between both countries.
Later on Tuesday, Azerbaijani news agency Report cited unnamed sources indicating that law enforcement had apprehended individuals connected to two Russian “organized crime groups” suspected of involvement in cybercrime and drug trafficking originating from Iran.
While local authorities have not yet confirmed these arrests, various news outlets have shared images and video purportedly depicting law enforcement agents escorting a group of Russian men into a police vehicle in Azerbaijan.
Moscow has not yet provided any comments regarding these alleged arrests.
