Azernews.Az

The trial of Azerbaijani citizens detained during a recent operation by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in Yekaterinburg is scheduled to begin tomorrow, at 11:00 local time, Azernews reports.

The individuals were apprehended during a large-scale FSB raid on multiple residences belonging to members of the Safarov family, originally from Aghdam, Azerbaijan. A total of 13 individuals were detained in the operation. Two of them were later released on the grounds that they were only 4–5 years old in 2001, the year the alleged crime was committed.

Of the remaining 9 detainees, it has been reported that Kamal Safarov is in serious medical condition and is currently hospitalized.

The operation, according to Russian law enforcement, is linked to a criminal case dating back to 2001. The Russian Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have issued limited information, citing the confidentiality of the ongoing investigation.

Conflicting reports emerged in the Russian press claiming that Shahin Shikhlinsky, the chairman of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Sverdlovsk region, was also detained. Shikhlinsky denied the allegations in a statement to the Russian bureau of Report, calling the information false.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on June 28, expressing deep concern over the actions of Russian authorities and the killing of two Azerbaijani nationals, Ziyeddin and Huseyn Safarov, during the operation. The ministry has called for an urgent investigation and the swift prosecution of those responsible for what it described as unacceptable violence.

This high-profile case continues to attract attention amid concerns over the treatment of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia and the transparency of the legal process.