Azerbaijani student detained in Iran, sentenced to two years in prison

Baku/18.08.23/Turan: Azerbaijani student Farid Safarli, detained in Iran in February this year, was sentenced to 2 years in prison, his mother Dilyara Askerova said. 

"The judge handed down a sentence of imprisonment for 2 years without holding a final hearing without giving Farid the last word. He found out about it from the judge's letter. He does not agree with this and does not accept accusations that do not have any grounds," his mother said. 

Farid, who is studying in Germany, arrived in Iran to meet his girlfriend, who, like him, studied in Germany. The Iranian authorities accused him of espionage and arrested him.

"During the trial, he was accused of paying for the rent of an apartment in euros, and not in local currency. A few days before his departure, a hidden camera was installed in this apartment and his conversation with the girl in English was recorded. The translation of this conversation was heard in court. According to Farid, the translation was greatly distorted. For example, Farid complained that the Internet was weak and he could not contact me. This was presented in court as evidence of Farid holding a secret meeting.

He was further accused of calling Iran 22 times from a German number in 2022. Farid demanded to prove that he called, but he did not receive an answer," the mother said.

Dilara Askerova appealed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry with a request to work for the release of her son. ---03B---