Azerbaijani prosecutor: Safarov brothers killed by Russian security beatings VIDEO

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan has announced that the Safarov brothers, Azerbaijani citizens detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia, died as a result of severe beatings inflicted by Russian security forces during a joint operation.

Neymat Avazov, Head of the Investigative Department of Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, provided details at a briefing today regarding the ongoing investigation into crimes committed against Azerbaijani nationals in Russia, Caliber.Az reports.

According to Avazov, on the morning of June 27, 2025, a coordinated operation involving the Russian National Guard, the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the FSB led to the detention of Azerbaijani citizens suspected of involvement in prior murders in Russia. The detainees, residing at various addresses across Yekaterinburg, were subjected to excessive physical force and brutal torture by law enforcement officers.

Huseyn Safarov (born 1956) died from his injuries on the same day around 3 p.m. within the premises of the Yekaterinburg Internal Affairs authorities. His brother, Ziyaddin Safarov (born 1970), succumbed to fatal beatings while being transported in an official police vehicle.

The bodies of the two brothers were returned to Baku on June 30, where a forensic medical examination was conducted under the supervision of Azerbaijani experts and prosecutors. The examination revealed multiple hematomas, abrasions, and fractures consistent with beatings by blunt objects. Ziyaddin Safarov’s death was caused by post-traumatic shock from multiple injuries, while Huseyn Safarov died from combined post-traumatic and hemorrhagic shock.

In response, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case on July 1, 2025, under Articles covering premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances, abuse of official powers with violence, and torture. The investigation is being led by the First Deputy Head of the Investigative Department and is under the special supervision of the Prosecutor General.

Avazov stressed that these acts are violations under both Azerbaijani and Russian laws, specifically citing the relevant articles of the Criminal Codes of both countries.

Preliminary findings show that between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. on June 27, at least 14 individuals were detained during the operation, including 12 Azerbaijani citizens. Of these, at least seven were subjected to physical violence and torture. Besides the two fatalities, two detainees remain hospitalised in Yekaterinburg, one injured individual has returned to Baku for medical examination, one remains in detention in Russia, and one has been released.

Photographic evidence of the victims and their injuries was presented during the briefing, corroborating the details of the investigation.

By Vugar Khalilov