Azernews.Az

BAKU - An Azerbaijani scientist held in neighboring Iran on charges of spying was released Wednesday evening.

Rashid Aliyev, who served as a senior scholar at the Baku State University’s physics scientific research institute, was arrested in Iran two years ago. The scientist travelled to Iran in 2006 to work for the Sazan Electronics Industry Company in the city of Semnan, east of Tehran. Two years later he was charged with sending information on laser technology and electronic chips to Azerbaijan and sentenced to three years in prison.

Aliyev, who returned to Baku the following day, was being awaited by family members and journalists at the airport, but unidentified persons took him away as soon as he got off the plane, the head of the committee for his rights, Soltanhamid Malikov, said. Malikov also said he was unaware of the details about Aliyev’s release.

The scholar told Radio Liberty over the phone about two hours after arriving in Azerbaijan that upon his landing in Baku, he was taken to the Ministry of Justice for some documentation-related procedures.

Aliyev also revealed some circumstances of his apprehension. "I was arrested at work and told that I was being charged with spying and then taken to the Iranian intelligence agency jail."

Aliyev said he was subject to psychological pressure while in prison.

"All of the inmates there were politicians and spies. From this viewpoint, that environment was, naturally, very depressing. Simply, if I had not been previously involved in the Karabakh war [a brutal war fought with Armenia in the 1990s] and jailed during the tenure of Abdurrahman Vazirov [chairman of the Azerbaijan Community Party’s Central Committee in 1988-90], I would not have survived. So, due to sufficient experience, I weathered the psychological pressure and returned home safe and sound.

"The conditions were extremely aggravating. They hold you alone in a two square meter-space. Just imagine, I spent two months in a cell like that."

Aliyev said there were no documents or other proof evidencing his spying activity.

"The matter was clarified. I had been detained baselessly. After the issue was raised by the media, government agencies and the defense committee, justice was served."