Azerbaijani citizen missing in Iran charged with espionage

Baku/02.06.23/Turan: Azerbaijani citizen Farid Safarli, who disappeared in Iran after arriving in this country from Germany on February 20, is accused of espionage. This was announced by his mother Dilyara Askerova.

“Today (June 1), I was informed by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry that the Iranian side has responded to the appeal about Farid. As it turned out, they arrested Farid on charges of espionage. This accusation is absurd. On the other hand, accusing an innocent person of espionage is very sad. This is a grave accusation. Imagining what punishment my son can expect on this charge, my heart breaks,” said Askerova.

When asked in favor of which country Safarli is accused of espionage, the activist's mother replied that this was not specified in the response of the Iranian side.

Askerova said that she would send an appeal to the President of Azerbaijan with a request to assist in the release of her son.

Askerova also intends to seek help from the German government, where she lives, and her son received higher education.

Farid Safarli, a student at the University of Jena in Germany, left for Iran on February 20 to meet a girl he met during her internship in Germany. Since March 4, Safarli has stopped contacting. At the end of March, his mother went to Iran to find her son. However, she did not succeed.

She arrived in Azerbaijan on March 31,  and was  received by the Deputy Ambassador of Iran. The latter promised to provide Safarli's mother with information by April 4, but this was not done. ---03B06---