Azerbaijani opponent Vidadi Isgandarli died on Tuesday October 1 in a hospital in Mulhouse (east), after receiving around fifteen stab wounds in his sleep at his home. Other Azerbaijani dissidents before him were victims of attacks and even assassination attempts on French soil.
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Vidadi Isgandarli was savagely stabbed at his home in Mulhouse at dawn on Sunday September 29 by three hooded men. With his cries, he alerted the neighborhood, which caused the attackers to flee. He then called his brother, who himself requested the intervention of emergency services and the police. But he succumbed to his injuries two days later. According to the first elements of the investigation, the victim showed signs of around fifteen stab wounds and defensive wounds on his arms.
The French authorities knew that Vidadi Isgandarli was in danger. In 2017, the influential opponent obtained a humanitarian visa in Francegranted to people whose life or security is threatened. On his blog and in his videos posted on YouTube, the 62-year-old former prosecutor regularly criticized the authoritarian regime of Ilham Aliev, president of theAzerbaijan since he succeeded his father in 2003.
Did the autocrat of Baku send his killers to Mulhouse to assassinate Vidadi Isgandarli? “ All trails remain open »said the prosecution, which said it wanted to use the images from video surveillance cameras. An autopsy was ordered.
Vidadi Isgandarli had already been the victim of an attack in Mulhouse in 2022. He had been “ victim of stone throwing », Explains the prosecution. His attackers were arrested and a criminal order was issued. But the prosecution did not note a political dimension.
This is not the first time that a critic of the Azerbaijani regime has been the subject of an assassination attempt on French soil. Mahamad Mirzali, also a blogger, survived three murder attempts. For two years, he has lived under heavy police protection.
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