Azerbaijani dissident and human rights defender Vidadi Iskenderli died in the hospital in Mulhouse, France, on October 1, after being stabbed and seriously injured in his home.
Vidadi Iskenderli He had been living in France since 2015, where he received political asylum. On the morning of Sunday, September 29, three masked strangers entered the rival’s apartment in Mulhouse through the window and They stabbed him 24 times. Doctors could not save his life.
it was him Second assassination attempt on İskenderli in France. He was stabbed in the back for the first time. He attributed the attack to his criticism of the regime of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. His friend and partner Süleyman Süleymanlı holds Baku responsible for his death.
An investigation was opened against former prosecutor Vidadi İskenderli administrative and criminal prosecutions As the director of the NGO Aid to the Defense of Democracy in Azerbaijan. He ran for Parliament (National Assembly) in 2010 and accused the voting process of being rigged. accused Interfering with the work of the Central Election Commission (MSK) was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
When you are released within the scope of amnestyThe human rights defender emigrated to France and renounced his Azeri citizenship. However, Vidadi Iskenderli harshly criticized Aliyev on his YouTube channel and fiercest rivals Acting president who has ruled Azerbaijan for more than 20 years.
A little Before the attack on İskenderliImmigrant sources from Azerbaijan reported allegations of preparations for attacks against dissidents in Europe By order of Baku. It was claimed that the perpetrators were citizens of Azerbaijan, Georgia and other Central Asian countries. It was claimed that Vidadi İskenderli was blacklisted.
Other attacks against Azerbaijani dissidents in Europe
Attack on İskenderli one of many attacks against opponents and Azerbaijani journalists in Europe. Some bloggers who criticized Aliyev in 2019-2022, including Gamil Mammadova and Orhan Agayev Attacked in France and Germany. Political immigrant Vugar Rza was found died in Brussels Under unclear circumstances, political émigré Rauf Babayev was attacked.
On March 14, 2021, Muhammad MirzaliThe 27-year-old Azerbaijani blogger was attacked for the third time in the center of Nantes in western France and was hospitalized with 16 stab wounds. Mirzali later stated that they wanted to cut his tongue, but he did not separate his teeth. Four people were convicted Three from Azerbaijan in connection with the incident at the end of April.
Those who had to migrate due to persecution, Mirzali has been living in France since 2016. He actively criticizes the Aliyev family and the Azerbaijani leadership in his online project ‘Made in Azerbaijan’. There he talks about human rights violations and torture in his country.
Before extraordinary presidential elections In 2018, Mirzali from Azerbaijan started the ‘flash mob’ together with other Azerbaijani activists who migrated to Europe. Let’s talk about the dictator.
Investigative journalist in May 2017 Afghan Mukhtarli was kidnapped In the center of Tbilisi. The next day he was already in a detention center in Azerbaijan where investigators were being held.
Complaints from Azerbaijani NGOs
Following the attack on Mirzali, three Azerbaijani NGOs made a joint statement and said: “The Azerbaijani dictator is not limited to torture and oppression within the country”. Human rights defenders, activists and journalists then called on France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States to take action against what they described as “terrorists specifically hired by the dictator of Azerbaijan.” suppress criticism“.
International human rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also supported Mirzali and called for “clarification of the brutality” trying to silence to those who criticize the regime”.
Since November 2023, six employees of ‘Abzas Media’, an online publication Investigating large-scale corruption cases Those associated with Azerbaijan’s leaders are in prison. They were arrested on the eve of the presidential election on 7 February, on charges that both Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders described as false.
