Azerbaijani citizen describes beating by Russian law enforcement officers in Yekaterinburg

Vugar Safarov, an Azerbaijani man who was attacked and tortured by Russian law enforcement officers in Russia’s Yekaterinburg, has shared a harrowing account of the incident. 

Safarov said that the events unfolded early on the morning of June 27. He recalled that at around 5 a.m. (GMT+3), masked men forcibly entered his family’s house, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

“We were sleeping when someone knocked on the door. Then we saw them break it down. My mother approached and shouted that they were police officers and asked for their identification. They insisted we open the door. They were wearing masks,” Safarov said.

“They struck my mother and threw her aside, then attacked me, my brother, and my father, beating us severely. We were forced to lie on the floor, shocked with tasers, and beaten with batons,” Safarov noted. 

He added the assault lasted for nearly an hour before the men handcuffed the family and took them to a local police station located at 74 Frunze Street.

Most alarmingly, Safarov revealed that the masked men demanded that they sign a document to join the war effort in Ukraine, warning that refusal would lead to mutilation.

On June 27, the Federal Security Service conducted a large-scale raid in Yekaterinburg, allegedly related to a murder case dating back to 2001. During the operation, up to 50 Azerbaijani individuals were detained, most of whom were later released. However, two Azerbaijani men were reportedly killed in their houses during the raid, several others sustained serious injuries, and nine people remain in custody.

By Naila Huseynova