The victim's testimony strengthened the defense's case that Safarov was innocent.

At the court hearing in the case of Azerbaijani human rights activist Rufat Safarov, the victim admitted that he had not undergone a medical examination, despite the investigation file containing a medical report. The victim's testimony further confirmed the theory that the case was fabricated and that Safarov is innocent.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on December 8, 2025, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes heard the testimony of Natig Imanguliyev, the victim in the Rufat Safarov case. The victim's version of the location of the conflict, presented at the hearing, conflicted with the materials presented by the defense. Moreover, according to mobile phone data, Imanguliyev was in contact with police officers before the incident, who soon detained Safarov.

On January 26, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes heard the responses of victim Natig Imanguliyev to questions from Rufat Safarov's lawyers, the accused's mother, Tahira Takhirgyzy, told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

According to her, in response to questions from defense representatives, Imanguliyev admitted that he had not undergone medical examination after the incident. Then lawyer Elchin Sadygov pointed out that Imanguliev had, despite this, been given a medical certificate confirming his injuries. According to Takhirgyzy, lawyer Rovshan Rahimli inquired about the victim's sources of income. "Considering Imanguliev's claims that he gave Rufat 60,000 manats (approximately $36,000 – Caucasian Knot note) to purchase a plot of land, the lawyer asked how this man, a worker, had acquired so much money in such a short time." "- said the human rights activist's mother.

However, according to her, state prosecutor Vusal Mekhraliyev demanded that this matter be "removed" because "it is illegal" and "irrelevant to the case."

Rufat said that the "victim" not only didn't give him the money, but also hadn't even seen him.

"This outraged Rufat. He said that arresting an innocent man and fabricating a case is illegal. Rufat said that the "victim" not only didn't give him the money, but also hadn't even seen him before the incident. He simply became involved in this provocation for some reason," said Takhirgyzy.

The human rights activist pointed out the political nature of the case. "They are infuriated by the fact that I, the son of a man who played a role in establishing this government, spoke out against the regime. "They can't forgive me for this. Over the past 10 years, I've been arrested several times, and they've staged dirty tricks against my family members... But even after that, I didn't expect them to stoop so low as to commit such vile lies," Tahirigizi recounted her son's words.

The defense believes that the victim's testimony confirmed the inconsistency of the prosecution's case, lawyer Elchin Sadygov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The victim himself admitted that he did not seek medical attention after the incident, and the case file contains a report on the bodily injuries he sustained. He also cannot explain why he "transferred money" for the purchase of a plot of land without formalizing the transaction with a notary. And in general, there is no reliable evidence of the transfer of money in the case," he explained.

An employee of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes confirmed to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent the information about the past hearing in Safarov's case. He noted that the judicial investigation is ongoing and the next hearing in Safarov's case will take place in February. Representatives of the prosecution and the victim were unavailable for comment.

As a reminder, Rufat Safarov was detained in Baku on December 3, 2024, and then arrested on charges of fraud and hooliganism. He denied the charges, linking them to his human rights activities. Safarov's detention prevented him from flying to the United States, where on December 10, 2024, he was awarded the prize in absentia State Department.

Safarov previously worked as an investigator for the Zerdab District Prosecutor's Office. In September 2016, he was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of bribery. Safarov pleaded not guilty, citing the political nature of the case. Before his arrest, he submitted his resignation in disagreement with the Azerbaijani government's policies. In March 2019, Safarov was pardoned. A year later, he and like-minded individuals founded the human rights organization "Line of Defense."