Azerbaijan’s MFA Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada dismissed as baseless the claims made by Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relating to the alleged mistreatment of Iranian-origin prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Hajizada famous that in accordance with the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, details about all detained and arrested residents of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Azerbaijan has been formally offered to the Iranian aspect:
“The rights, authentic pursuits, and private safety of convicted and detained individuals who’re residents of Iran and held within the penitentiary establishments of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Justice are protected, and they’re supplied with crucial materials and dwelling circumstances.
In accordance with the necessities of present laws, convicted and detained individuals have the best to make telephone calls, obtain parcels, meet with relations, and discuss on the telephone. In some penitentiary establishments, prisoners who’re residents of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been given the chance to have video conferences with relations.
Detained foreigners, together with residents of the Islamic Republic of Iran, recurrently endure examinations within the medical-sanitary division. In addition, drugs introduced by workers of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran within the Republic of Azerbaijan for his or her residents have been accepted by medical service workers in accordance with the necessities of normative acts and delivered to the convicts.”
Hajizada emphasised that in 2025 alone, circumstances have been created for consular conferences between the Iranian embassy workers and 37 residents of the Islamic Republic of Iran serving sentences in Azerbaijan’s penitentiary establishments. Most lately, such a gathering occurred with two Iranian residents on July 31.
“The Iranian aspect is properly conscious that the Azerbaijani aspect has additionally proven humanitarianism relating to quite a lot of Iranian residents. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated May 26, 2025, on pardoning sure convicted individuals, 5 Iranian residents have been pardoned.
Despite these measures, details about most of our residents detained and imprisoned within the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be offered to the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the Islamic Republic of Iran. In most circumstances, our residents aren’t allowed to fulfill with diplomatic missions of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the Islamic Republic of Iran and relations, set up phone contact, or submit functions to serve the remaining a part of their sentence within the Republic of Azerbaijan in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Transfer of Convicted Persons Deprived of Liberty for Serving Sentences signed in Baku on February 21, 1998.
At the identical time, regardless of inquiries, the Azerbaijani aspect will not be knowledgeable about courtroom hearings held within the Islamic Republic of Iran relating to circumstances of residents of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or about choices made throughout these hearings.
Our nation has at all times advocated discussing such points with out politicization, on a bilateral degree, by diplomatic channels. Along with different points, negotiations on this path have been carried out through the subsequent consular consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran held in Tehran on April 15, 2025,” Aykhan Hajizada mentioned.
