Lithuania aims to deport Ramazan Yaman, an Azerbaijani national who exposed information about the activities of his country’s secret services. For years, these agencies have evaded accountability and have been involved in physically assaulting and intimidating opposition bloggers who sought refuge in Europe.
Currently situated in a refugee camp in Pabradė, Lithuania, Ramazan Yaman states:
«Before arriving in Europe, I practiced pistol shooting for the State Security Service at a private range in the Shikhov settlement near Baku city.» «Upon completing my training in September 2022, I traveled to Budapest, the capital of Hungary.»
Yaman claims he has been working with Azerbaijani secret services for several years. In September of the previous year, he was assigned to travel to Europe and punish bloggers for disrespecting Azerbaijani officials. Azerbaijan’s special services assisted him in obtaining a Lithuanian Schengen visa at the Lithuanian consulate in Baku.
According to Ramazan, he took this step under duress. Yaman was informed that he would face imprisonment if he refused to travel to Europe and fulfill his obligations. Ramazan’s primary objective was to establish a network of criminally inclined individuals in Europe and, together with these group members, punish bloggers who criticized and insulted the Azerbaijani government. These bloggers reside in European countries.
Upon Yaman’s arrival in Europe, he received the addresses of bloggers Manaf Celilzade, Suleyman Suleymanli, and Elshad Mamedov, all of whom reside in Switzerland. Ramazan claims that Vugar Muhtarov, Colonel of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, provided him with these addresses via WhatsApp.
(The editorial office has audio recordings and copies of Yaman’s messages with the colonel on this subject).
From Sweden — to Lithuania
Ramazan traveled from Hungary to Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, and resided on a tourist visa. He applied for political asylum in Sweden on December 10, 2022. The Swedish side, citing the Dublin Regulation, instructed him to seek refuge in Lithuania because Ramazan’s visa in the EU was Lithuanian.
In February 2023, Yaman applied for political asylum with the Lithuanian Migration Service, citing persecution and threats to his life by Azerbaijani security services. In his application, he mentioned, among other things, an incident that happened to him in Vilnius. In addition to Lithuanian Migration Service personnel, Yaman was in contact with Lithuanian State Security Department (VSD) officials. He gave them information about Azerbaijani special services’ efforts targeting Azerbaijani bloggers living in European countries. He provided them with information about the beatings and intimidations conducted by Azerbaijani secret services against Azerbaijani bloggers residing in European countries.
Potential victims confirmed Yaman’s words
Our editorial office contacted the bloggers Manaf Celilzade and Elshad Mamedov, whom Azerbaijani security forces planned to punish via Ramazan.
➵ Manaf Celilzade is the founder of the YouTube channel DiktatorTV. He is still based in Switzerland. The channel currently has 153,000 subscribers. The monthly audience of the channel is several million people. Manaf also has a significant following on TikTok. Manaf Celilzade told our editorial office that Ramazan Yaman had indeed contacted him last year and warned him of an upcoming assassination attempt. He gave Manaf’s address, which was not widely known.
➵The editorial office also spoke to another potential victim, Elshad Mamedov. Currently, he is a political emigrant living in Switzerland. Elshad maintains several channels on YouTube. Operativ TV, which he manages, has 227,000 subscribers, Magara Media has 148,000 subscribers, and Repressiyaya Son holds 85,000 subscribers. Over 10 million people watch Elshad Mamedov’s critical and insulting videos about the Aliyev regime every month. Elshad reported that Ramazan contacted him, warning him of an impending assassination attempt and sending him the address of Elshad’s residence.
Yaman has been informed that Lithuania does not wish to jeopardize relations with the government of Azerbaijan
Ramazan Yaman is currently held as a detainee in the Pabradė camp. He claims that while he was at the Pabradė camp, a woman who identified herself as a member of the Lithuanian security service approached him. She explained to Yaman that Lithuania did not wish to jeopardize its relations with the government of Azerbaijan.
Ramazan further claims that during his time in Lithuania, he was not treated in accordance with the law, and his rights were violated.
While this publication was being prepared, Lithuania denied Ramazan political asylum. The secret certificate from the Lithuanian State Security Department (VSD), presented during the court hearing of Yaman’s case, claims that he poses a threat to Lithuania’s national security. The Lithuanian Migration Service informed him of the decision to deport him to Azerbaijan, the government against which he had testified.
FROM THE EDITORIAL OFFICE
On humanitarian grounds, and given the danger that Ramazan Yaman would face if deported to Azerbaijan, as well as the dangerous trend of intimidation and regular physical attacks against Azerbaijani bloggers and journalists that has been going on for several years, NEWSROOM IN will continue to investigate this topic.