Rights defender Safarov links his arrest with US State Department's Award

Rufat Safarov, an Azeri human rights defender, has stated that before his arrest, he faced demands to publicly refuse the US State Department's Award.

On December 3, 2024, Rufat Safarov, the executive director of the human rights organization "Defence Line" was detained. The appellate court upheld his arrest, despite his advocates' arguments about the groundlessness of the criminal prosecution and the health problems of Rufat's father.

Safarov is accused of embezzling money from Natig Imamguliev, who had transferred funds for the purchase of a land plot and never it back, when the deal failed. Rufat asserts that the criminal case was fabricated. On December 6, 2024, he planned to fly to the United States to receive a human rights award at a ceremony dedicated to the International Human Rights Day.

Safarov has sent an appeal to the public from the SIZO (pre-trial prison); it was posted in Safarov's Facebook* account. He has stated in it that before his arrest, he was demanded to publicly refuse the US State Department's Award.

According to his story, the pressure on him began back in August 2024, when it became known that he had been nominated for the above Award for his efforts to protect human rights and had become the main contender for this Award.

Safarov has recalled that after starting his human rights activities in 2019, he had already been subjected to pressure. "But I couldn't remain silent when a diplomat was beaten with electric current, a young activist was urinated on, and young female journalists were thrown into jail. That is why I continued my activities," he has stated.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.