Azerbaijan rejects Iran’s claims of prisoner mistreatment as “unfounded”

Azerbaijan has categorically dismissed recent accusations made by Iranian officials regarding the alleged mistreatment of Iranian nationals held in Azerbaijani penitentiary institutions. The remarks were issued in response to statements by Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which Azerbaijani officials have described as baseless and inconsistent with the facts.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a detailed rebuttal through its spokesperson, Aykhan Hajizada, asserting that all Iranian citizens detained or imprisoned in Azerbaijan are treated in full compliance with international standards and Azerbaijani national legislation, Caliber.Az reports.

“The recent allegations made by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Esmaeil Baghaei, on alleged mistreatment of Iranian-origin prisoners in the Republic of Azerbaijan are entirely unfounded," said Hajizada.

"All official information concerning Iranian nationals detained or imprisoned in the Republic of Azerbaijan has been duly communicated to the Iranian side in accordance with the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations."

According to the Azerbaijani MFA, Iranian detainees receive all necessary living and medical conditions, with regular health checks conducted and medicines delivered through the appropriate consular channels. Furthermore, communication with family members — including phone calls, parcel deliveries, and even video meetings — is regularly facilitated.

"The rights, legitimate interests, and personal safety of citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran held in penitentiary facilities under the authority of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan are fully protected. These individuals are provided with the necessary material and living conditions," Hajizada noted.

"In line with the requirements of the national legislation, convicted and detained persons are granted the right to make phone calls, receive parcels, and have visits and telephone communication with their family members. In certain penitentiary facilities, video meetings between Iranian citizens and their families have also been arranged."

Highlighting ongoing cooperation, the spokesperson stated that in 2025 alone, consular meetings were arranged between Iranian embassy officials and 37 Iranian citizens serving sentences in Azerbaijan. The most recent of these took place on July 31.

"Furthermore, medications brought by the staff of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Azerbaijan for their citizens have been duly received by the medical personnel in accordance with the requirements of regulatory acts and delivered to the respective inmates," the statement continued.

The Azerbaijani side also pointed to its humanitarian gestures, including the presidential pardon of five Iranian citizens in May 2025.

"It is well known to the Iranian side that Azerbaijan has demonstrated a humanitarian approach with regard to several Iranian citizens. Under the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 26 May 2025 on pardoning a number of convicted individuals, five Iranian nationals were pardoned."

However, Azerbaijan criticized Iran for a lack of reciprocity, citing difficulties in obtaining information about Azerbaijani citizens detained in Iran. According to the MFA, there have been repeated instances where Azerbaijani diplomatic missions were not informed about arrests or court proceedings involving Azerbaijani nationals in Iran. These individuals are also often denied consular access and communication with their families.

"Despite these steps, the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly encountered a lack of transparency regarding the status of its own nationals detained or arrested in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the majority of such cases, relevant information is not communicated to the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Iran. Furthermore, Azerbaijani citizens are frequently denied access to consular support, communication with family members, or the ability to submit formal requests to serve the remainder of their sentences in Azerbaijan..."

Moreover, Azerbaijani authorities report that despite invoking a 1998 bilateral agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, Iran has failed to provide necessary information or comply with procedural requests.

"Additionally, despite repeated requests, the Azerbaijani side is not provided with information regarding court hearings involving Azerbaijani citizens in Iran, including decisions adopted during such proceedings."

Concluding the statement, Hajizada reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s preference for addressing such sensitive matters through established diplomatic mechanisms.

"The Republic of Azerbaijan has consistently advocated for addressing such issues through constructive bilateral dialogue and diplomatic channels, without politicizing them. In this regard, relevant discussions also took place during the most recent round of consular consultations held between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran on 15 April 2025."

By Vafa Guliyeva