Azerbaijan confirms legal assistance provided to all detained Russian nationals

The Azerbaijani Bar Association has confirmed that all Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan have been granted full access to legal representation, rejecting allegations to the contrary as baseless.

Chairman of the Bar Association Anar Baghirov said that legal assistance had been provided to every Russian national currently in custody in Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He dismissed claims of rights violations as “absurd.”

“As Chairman of the Azerbaijan Bar Association, I can state with full responsibility that all those detained have been assigned legal counsel,” Baghirov said.

“Our association has not received any complaints or appeals regarding denial of legal assistance. Furthermore, there are no restrictions preventing these individuals from hiring a lawyer of their choice.”

Baghirov added that appeals have been submitted to the Federal Chamber of Lawyers of Russia and to international organisations in response to allegations of mistreatment — including beatings and intimidation — of Azerbaijani nationals detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia. He said Russian lawyers had lodged the complaints on behalf of their Azerbaijani colleagues.

The chairman also condemned any form of pressure on legal professionals, stressing that those responsible for such actions must be held accountable.

In a pointed message to the Russian media, Baghirov called for more balanced reporting: “We urge Russian media to take a closer look at the violent act of intimidation against the Shikhlinsky lawyers in Yekaterinburg, to highlight the deteriorating conditions faced by lawyers in their own country, and to maintain objectivity.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev