"Amnesty International" launches campaign in defense of Bahruz Samedov and Iqbal Abilov.

The international human rights organisation "Amnesty International" has launched a campaign in defense of researchers Bahruz Samedov and Iqbal Abilov arrested in Azerbaijan.

The organisation's website published a sample appeal to the Azerbaijani leadership demanding the release of the researchers.

"Researchers Iqbal Abilov and Bahruz Samedov were arrested on trumped up charges including ‘high treason’ in retaliation for their scientific work and activism. Both remain in detention and are not allowed to visit or communicate with their families. If found guilty, they face long prison terms of up to 20 years,’ the petition reads.

The petition points out that there is no official public statement about the grounds for the charges against Samedov and Abilov. Their trials are closed and their lawyers are not allowed to share statements about their cases, but defense lawyers report that they deny the charges.

The petition points out that Samedov is an anti-war activist and Abilov has been a vocal defender of the rights of national minorities, including Azerbaijan's Talysh. ‘Their arrests follow a pattern of abuse of the criminal justice system by the Azerbaijani government to silence its critics,’ the petition further states.

The petition calls for ‘immediate action to end all politically motivated persecution, release Bahruz Samedov, Iqbal Abilov and all others arbitrarily detained or imprisoned for their dissent or critical views, including academics, political and civic activists, journalists and human rights defenders.’