The human rights defender's mother was not told why she was banned from leaving the country

On January 6, the mother of Rufat Safarov, the detained human rights defender, was summoned to testify as a witness at the Main Police Directorate of Baku. However, she refused to give any testimony. She shared this information with Turan News Agency.

"In accordance with the law, I refused to testify, telling the investigator that my son was arrested based on false accusations," said Tahirgyzy. She also inquired why she was prohibited from leaving the country. "I couldn’t get any answer," she added.

Tahirgyzy emphasized that her husband suffers from severe Parkinson's disease and needs to undergo regular medical examinations in Türkiye every six months. The recent events, including her son's arrest, have worsened his condition.

“We bought tickets for January 7 to take my husband to Istanbul for his examination. However, the day before, I found out that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan had imposed a travel ban on me. We are pensioners, we bought the tickets with our pensions, and if we can’t go, we will lose the money, which is a significant amount for us,” said Tahirgyzy. She expressed hope that the investigation and those responsible for her son's arrest would show some humanity and allow her husband to travel abroad for medical treatment.

“We are waiting for a call from the investigation every minute. We are still hopeful. Tomorrow is the last day of our hope,” she said. Tahirgyzy also reported that on January 6, Rufat Safarov called from pre-trial detention. "He is very worried about his father’s health and the travel ban," she said.

* Rufat Safarov was arrested on December 3. He has been charged under three criminal code Articles: 178.3.2 (fraud causing significant damage), 221.1 (hooliganism), and 127.2.3 (intentional infliction of minor harm to health, in a dangerous manner or out of hooligan motives). The next day, the court ordered his detention for four months.

Safarov denies the charges and claims that the arrest is politically motivated, citing his human rights activism and receiving an award from the U.S. State Department.