26 October 2024 | Turan

The international network Scholars at Risk (SAR) Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates has expressed concern regarding the criminal prosecution of Iqbal Abilov, a Talysh researcher in Azerbaijan. The organization noted that Abilov, a citizen of Azerbaijan and a lecturer at Belarusian State University, was arrested in July of this year on charges of "high treason," "calls against the state," and "inciting interethnic hatred." This situation raises alarms about the state of academic freedom and the safety of scholars in Azerbaijan.

Abilov, an ethnic Talysh, specializes in history and ethnography, with a focus on ethnic minorities of the South Caucasus, Türkiye, and Iran. Abilov is also a member of the Talysh National Academy, a consortium of academics who study the Talysh indigenous group…

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