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Azerbaijan addresses Iranian MFA spokesperson's claims

Politics Materials 4 August 2025 18:46 (UTC +04:00)
Azerbaijan addresses Iranian MFA spokesperson's claims
Gulnara Karimova
Gulnara Karimova
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. The recent allegations made by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Ismail Baghaei, on the alleged mistreatment of Iranian-origin prisoners in Azerbaijan are entirely unfounded, Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada said in a commentary regarding the above allegations, Trend reports.

According to him, all official information concerning Iranian nationals detained or imprisoned in Azerbaijan has been duly communicated to the Iranian side in accordance with the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

"The rights, legitimate interests, and personal safety of citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran held in penitentiary facilities under the authority of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan are fully protected. These individuals are provided with the necessary material and living conditions.

In line with the requirements of the national legislation, convicted and detained persons are granted the right to make phone calls, receive parcels, and have visits and telephone communication with their family members. In certain penitentiary facilities, video meetings between Iranian citizens and their families have also been arranged.

Foreign nationals held in custody, including citizens of Iran, regularly undergo medical examinations at medical-sanitary units.

Furthermore, medications brought by the staff of the Embassy of Iran in Azerbaijan for their citizens have been duly received by the medical personnel in accordance with the requirements of regulatory acts and delivered to the respective inmates.

In 2025 alone, arrangements were made for consular meetings between representatives of the Embassy of Iran and 37 Iranian nationals serving sentences in the penitentiary facilities of Azerbaijan. The most recent consular meeting took place on July 31 with two Iranian citizens," the Azerbaijani official added.

As he emphasized, it is well known to the Iranian side that Azerbaijan has demonstrated a humanitarian approach with regard to several Iranian citizens.

Hajizada recalled that under the Presidential Decree of Azerbaijan dated 26 May 2025 on pardoning a number of convicted individuals, five Iranian nationals were pardoned.

"Despite these steps, the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly encountered a lack of transparency regarding the status of its own nationals detained or arrested in Iran. In the majority of such cases, relevant information is not communicated to the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan in Iran. Furthermore, Azerbaijani citizens are frequently denied access to consular support, communication with family members, or the ability to submit formal requests to serve the remainder of their sentences in Azerbaijan, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Iran on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, signed in Baku on 21 February 1998.

Additionally, despite repeated requests, the Azerbaijani side is not provided with information regarding court hearings involving Azerbaijani citizens in Iran, including decisions adopted during such proceedings.

Azerbaijan has consistently advocated for addressing such issues through constructive bilateral dialogue and diplomatic channels, without politicizing them. In this regard, relevant discussions also took place during the most recent round of consular consultations held between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Iran in Tehran on 15 April 2025," he concluded.

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