Academic Bahruz Samadov is suffering after being transferred to a high-security prison facility and being denied prescribed medicine for more than a month. His mental and physical health have significantly deteriorated in custody.
Here is how you can take action:
- Email your message now to the President of Azerbaijan
- Send a letter to President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 30, 2026
Scroll down to Step 1 and Step 2 to access the full Urgent Action appeal, email to the Azerbaijani authorities, and sample letter, and U.S.P.S. mailing address (if available).
Dear President Aliyev,
I am deeply concerned about the detention of researcher and peace activist, Bahruz Samadov, and the conditions under which he is being held at Umbaki Penitentiary Prison.
On June 23, 2025, Samadov was sentenced to 15 years in prison on trumped-up charges of “high treason.” According to his friends and family, his mental and physical health has deteriorated over the last year while in custody. He has twice attempted to commit suicide in prison.
In February 2026, Bahruz Samadov was transferred to Umbaki Penitentiary Prison, a high security facility known for its harsh conditions. Samadov has been on hunger strike having lost an appeal against the transfer, which places him 70 kilometers from his only living relative, his 83-year-old grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova. He is permitted to make two phone calls every week. At Umbaki prison, Samadov is not permitted to access the prison yard at all. He is only allowed access to a one-meter balcony for no more than two hours a day. Access to television and radio have been taken away.
On February 27, a medical team from the Ministry of Justice visited Samadov, following his lawyer’s request, and prescribed several medications, he did not receive them for more than a month. The last time a doctor visited him was at the end of February 2026. However, no representative from the Public Defender has visited Samadov after the transfer despite Samadov`s outcry for access to medicine.
I call on you to immediately and unconditionally release Bahruz Samadov. Pending his release, ensure that he has access to adequate health care, is held in prison conditions that meet international standards, and that independent observers and the Public Defender are allowed to visit Bahruz Samadov in detention. I also call on you to end the broader reprisals against peaceful critics, journalists, and activists.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Other Urgent Actions for this Case
- Second UA Issued: [Azerbaijan 86.24]
- First UA Issued: [Azerbaijan 86.24]
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