Azerbaijani Turk Activist Jafar Esmailzadeh Arrested in Tabriz

On Tuesday, June 7, 2022, security forces arrested Azerbaijani Turk activist Jafar Esmailzadeh at his house in Tabriz. The agents confiscated some of his personal belongings.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022,  activist Jafar Esmailzadeh was arrested in Tabriz.

The reason for Esmailzadeh’s arrest and his whereabouts are unknown so far.

On prior occasions, Esmailzadeh faced other arrests and convictions. On May 29, 2019, he and his son, Milad Esmailzadeh were arrested and later released on bail of 50 million tomans after five days. Subsequently, branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Tabriz sentenced Esmailzadeh to six months in prison. This verdict was upheld on appeal.

On June 7, 2020, Esmailzadeh was imprisoned after an appearance at the Judgment Enforcement Unit for sentencing and was released after serving out his sentence.