`This is how terrorists are escorted`: actions of Azerbaijani security forces angered human rights activists.
Azerbaijani security forces had no apparent justification for the harsh escort of eight Russian citizens, who were unexpectedly suspected of “transit of drugs from Iran, drug trafficking, and cybercrimes” following the detention of members of ethnic criminal groups in Yekaterinburg.
According to human rights activist Dmitry Agranovsky, the Russian citizens were escorted without strong grounds in a “90-degree angle posture,” a method typically used for individuals sentenced to life imprisonment or terrorists. He believes that through these detentions, the Azerbaijani authorities sent a message to the Russian political leadership.
Recall that on July 1, the Russian citizens detained the previous day were arrested in Baku. 41-year-old Anton Drachev previously headed the IT department at a hedge fund and later became the director of the online dry cleaner Airo. Drachev, who lives in Moscow, flew to Baku to visit his girlfriend.
Another arrested person, 30-year-old Dmitry Bezugly, previously worked at VK and Yandex. He left Russia immediately after the announcement of partial mobilization in the autumn of 2022. For the same reason, 23-year-old Sergey Sofronov from Cherepovets settled in Azerbaijan. Before relocating, he earned a living through teaching and freelance work as a programmer and designer.
Another detainee is 38-year-old Valery Dulov, who moved to Kazakhstan in 2022. Initially, he worked as an oil engineer in Yamal and later developed an application for oil reserve estimation. From 2013, he worked at Gazpromneft until he left the country.
Based on social media profiles, the arrested 22-year-old Dmitry Fedorov studied at an architectural and construction university and arrived in Baku over a month ago. 25-year-old Alexey Vasilchenko from St. Petersburg worked as a psychologist and traveled to Azerbaijan as a tourist.
It was noted that all detainees appeared in the Sabail District Court session hall with signs of ill-treatment. Extensive bruises were visible on their faces; at least two Russians had blood-soaked clothes, and another had a broken forehead. Previously, in a video published by local media, the Russians were seen walking in single file with their hands behind their heads.
According to former Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev, raids are currently taking place in Azerbaijan. The local police were tasked with detaining everyone with Russian passports. “It seems they will either be deported to Russia under camera surveillance, after being subjected to humiliation and beatings, or criminal cases will be initiated based on fabricated charges. This way, a so-called `exchange fund` is being formed. Those detained could be both Russians who moved to the country and regular tourists,” the politician wrote.
On Wednesday, July 2, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russian citizens in Azerbaijan or planning to travel there should take the current situation into account.
According to lawyer and human rights activist Dmitry Agranovsky, there were no grounds for the harsh detention by Azerbaijani security forces.
“Of course, security forces in any country have the right to use force when met with resistance. But I see no grounds for using violence against these people and no grounds to escort them like terrorists,” Agranovsky said. “You know, that posture is generally used for those sentenced to life imprisonment. Ordinary people are escorted in handcuffs, but not bent over at a 90-degree angle. In my opinion, the violence used here is completely inadequate for the situation and not caused by the behavior of the detainees. This means it is directed not so much at them, but at the country whose citizens they are. I do not rule out that by applying excessive state coercion measures, they want to send a message to the state whose citizens these people are, and our state has direct reasons to react.”
– Dmitry Vladimirovich, can Russian lawyers help the detained Russian citizens?
“The direct duty of the embassy and consulate is to deal with their citizens, in this case, Russians, including finding lawyers. Russian lawyers do not have the right to practice in Azerbaijan, just as Azerbaijani lawyers do not have the right to practice here. Law is a very local matter, so our lawyers can only participate alongside local lawyers and do so unofficially, as consultants or communicators between the parties. Therefore, of course, the direct duty of the embassy and consulate is to help the relatives of the detainees find Azerbaijani lawyers.”
