Azerbaijani citizen repatriated after year-long detention in Iran

Farid Safarli, a citizen of Azerbaijan who had been detained in Iran in 2023, has been repatriated to Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Security Service said.

According to a joint statement issued by the two agencies, Safarli's return was made possible through international legal cooperation and under the order from the President of Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports.

The statement highlighted that, following a medical examination upon his arrival, Safarli was reunited with his family.

The authorities further assured that Azerbaijan would continue to take necessary measures to protect the rights and interests of its citizens abroad, ensuring their safety and well-being in such situations.

26-year-old Safarli was a master's degree student at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany. He visited Iran at the end of February in order to meet a female acquaintance, a citizen of the Islamic Republic, whom he met while studying in Germany. Ever since March 4, his family lost all contact to him, later finding out that he had been arrested by the local authorities.

He had been initially accused of espionage, with the crime later being reduced to "intent to carry out espionage".

Farid Safarli, arrested in Iran, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.

During the court hearing on July 19, 2023, the charge of “espionage” brought against Farid Safarli was replaced by the charge of “intent to spy.” At the next stage, the court sentenced him to detention for a period of two and a half years.

By Vafa Guliyeva