04 March 2025, 23:39
In Azerbaijan, critic of authorities sentenced to term of imprisonment in penal colony
In Azerbaijan, a court sentenced blogger Arzu Sayadoglu to seven years of imprisonment in a penal colony, finding him guilty of extortion of money. The blogger, being well-known for criticizing the country’s authorities, called the charges fabricated.
Arzu Sayadoglu ran a YouTube channel in which he criticized the political situation in Azerbaijan and the arbitrariness of officials. The blogger also introduced himself as the head of the “Movement to Serve the People”. The criminal proceedings against the blogger is related to his criticism of the authorities and calls for protests, human rights defenders and journalists believe.
According to the information from an employee of the Gandja Court on Grave Crimes, the court concluded that Arzu Sayadoglu extorted 6000 manats (about 3600 US dollars) from Asif Gasymov, the director of the Tovuz District Culture Centre, threatening to distribute footage that discredited the director. Having not received the money, Arzu Sayadoglu posted the video on his YouTube channel.
The blogger denied the charges, stated Sayad Mamedov, the defendant’s father. “This video is dedicated to the forced involvement of employees of the Tovuz District Culture Centre in cleaning the areas around cultural institutions in August 2023 ... Those who refused to work were threatened with dismissal,” the man explained.
The video shows footage of a large number of people participating in the cleaning of the area. The Arzu Sayadoglu’s voice explains that these are employees of the local theatre, library, and village clubs who have to clean the areas ahead of the Minister of Culture’s visit instead of performing their professional duties.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 3, 2025 at 06:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: СK correspondent
