Russian journalist criticizes police impunity following deaths of Azerbaijani men in Yekaterinburg

Russian journalist and public figure Ksenia Sobchak has addressed the recent contentious incident involving Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg, which has intensified tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan. The dispute arose following a law enforcement operation during which two Azerbaijani men lost their lives.

In a statement shared on her Telegram channel, Sobchak drew attention to autopsy footage circulated by Azerbaijani media, which reportedly reveals “literally no living space” for the victims, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Contrastingly, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has officially attributed the cause of death of one of the Safarov brothers to heart failure.

Sobchak stressed the fundamental principle that regardless of suspicion, guilt must be established through due legal process, and underlined that such suspicions do not justify torture or mistreatment. “It doesn't matter what nationality they are, what citizenship they have or what they are suspected of,” she affirmed.

Highlighting the broader implications, Sobchak criticized the conduct of certain law enforcement officers, asserting that their actions have sparked an international scandal. “And then we will wonder why we are not loved ‘over there’, not awaited, and why we are detained. And all because someone believed too strongly in their impunity,” she remarked.

On June 27, officers from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) conducted a raid on homes where Azerbaijanis reside in Yekaterinburg. During the operation, two Azerbaijanis—brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov—were killed, and several individuals were detained.

Several others sustained serious injuries, and nine members of the family were detained. The operation was described as violent, with reports of beatings, torture with electric shocks, and degrading treatment, such as forcing detainees to “eat mud” in transport vehicles.

By Vafa Guliyeva