Baku swaps Iranian spy for Azerbaijani student held in Tehran

Azerbaijan has handed over to Tehran an Iranian spy imprisoned in the country in exchange for the release of Azerbaijani student Farid Safarli, his relatives claim.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and the country’s State Security Service confirmed in a joint statement, that Farid Safarli, an Azerbaijani student arrested in Iran in 2023, has been released and is now back in Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing the ministry's press statement.

“Farid Safarli was reunited with his family after undergoing a medical examination. Necessary measures will be taken to protect the rights and interests of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan outside the country,” the statement noted.

Following the announcement, a surge of online trolling erupted on Facebook, with numerous recently created profiles posting identical comments alleging that Safarli “was engaged in espionage and suggesting he did not deserve to return to Azerbaijan”.

However, Safarli’s family claims that the government exchanged an Iranian spy to facilitate Safarli's return.

To recap, Farid Safarli, a student at the University of Jena in Germany, travelled to Iran on February 20, 2023. Communication with him was lost on March 4, leading to widespread reports of his arrest.

By Khagan Isayev