Azerbaijan Jails Peace Activist for 15 Years Over Calls for Peace with Armenians

The Azerbaijani government has sentenced peace activist and respected scholar Bahruz Samadov to 15 years in prison for alleged “treason.” His true “crime”? Calling for peace with Armenia.

This latest punishment sends a chilling message—not only to Azerbaijan’s own citizens, but also to the international community: in Ilham Aliyev’s authoritarian regime, those who speak of coexistence with Armenians are enemies of the state.

Samadov, a 29-year-old political scientist and PhD student at Charles University in Prague, was arrested in August 2024 during a visit to his hometown of Baku. After days of silence and confusion, his family was informed that he was being charged with treason under Article 274 of Azerbaijan’s criminal code. The charge was based on alleged communications with Armenians and articles he wrote advocating peace and criticizing militarism. In other words, he was targeted for thinking differently and believing in reconciliation—not war.

Bahruz Samadov is far from a traitor. He is a highly educated, thoughtful researcher who has never supported violence. In fact, he has spent years speaking out against war crimes committed during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). He called out Azerbaijan’s glorification of war, including the now-infamous Military Trophy Park in Baku that displayed the helmets of dead Armenian soldiers—an exhibit he rightly called “dehumanizing.”

He never hid his views. He published articles in respected platforms like OC Media, Eurasianet, and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. He openly condemned Azerbaijan’s 20-year authoritarian rule and its use of nationalism to silence opposition. He described how the Azerbaijani state portrays Armenians as fascists to justify its aggression. He even wrote that true peace requires rejecting hate-filled propaganda.

For this, he was labeled “pro-Armenian” by government-backed media. And for this, he now sits in a prison cell—weak from a hunger strike, having even attempted suicide in protest of his unjust treatment.

Samadov’s trial, like many in Azerbaijan, was held behind closed doors. Only a few relatives and friends were allowed to hear the verdict. According to his lawyer, Zibeyda Sadigova, Samadov was too weak to even write his final words. All he could say was: “I am a peace activist. I did not commit any crime.”

The court gave him 15 years. The prosecution wanted 16. The outcome was pre-decided. In today’s Azerbaijan, peaceful dissent is punished harsher than actual crimes.

His arrest has drawn criticism from across the world. The European Union, Freedom House, and the Czech Republic’s Foreign Ministry have all expressed concern. Charles University, where Samadov studies, is monitoring the case. But so far, no pressure has moved the Azerbaijani regime. In fact, Samadov’s sentence follows a disturbing pattern: researchers, journalists, and activists are being locked up in waves.

Just last month, another academic, Igbal Abilov, was sentenced to 18 years for treason. Journalists from independent outlet Abzas Media were given sentences between 7.5 and 9 years. RFE/RL journalist Farid Mehralizada got 9 years. It’s clear this is not about national security—it’s about crushing all independent thought.

Bahruz Samadov represents what many young people in the South Caucasus long for: dialogue, peace, and dignity. But his arrest reveals what Azerbaijan fears most—those who challenge its propaganda and call for understanding with Armenians.

Ilham Aliyev’s regime has built its power by dehumanizing Armenians, using nationalism to justify war and occupation. The arrest of Samadov shows that Azerbaijan sees peace itself as a threat.

Even in the face of threats, Samadov spoke the truth: That Armenians are not the enemy. That Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be cleansed through sieges or violence. That mutual respect must replace ethnic hatred.

Instead of embracing such voices, Azerbaijan is imprisoning them.

As the first Christian nation and a country that has endured genocide and ongoing aggression, Armenia must continue to highlight cases like Samadov’s. These are not just domestic issues inside Azerbaijan. They are part of a larger campaign to silence peace and erase Armenian identity from its ancestral lands.

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