Mahammad Mirzali: Nine on trial in France over plot to kill Azerbaijani blogger

Mahammad Mirzali

A trial has opened in the French city of Rennes of nine men accused of plotting to murder Mahammad Mirzali, a prominent Azerbaijani blogger and critic of his country's government.

Mirzali, who was granted political asylum in France, survived a violent knife attack in Nantes in March 2021, having previously survived another attempt on his life.

The Parliament of Brittany courthouse in Rennes has been placed under heavy police guard, with the blogger arriving in an armoured car and wearing a bulletproof vest.

Three of the defendants face charges of attempted murder by an organised group, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while six others are accused of complicity and criminal conspiracy.

Most of the accused are Azerbaijani nationals or of Azerbaijani origin. They deny the charges.

Mirzali’s lawyer, Henri Carpentier, said the proceedings were about more than just a single criminal act, telling reporters: "This trial in France is not only a trial for an attempted assassination, but also a trial for the freedom to criticise an authoritarian regime."

Carpentier added that the legal team believed the orders to kill Mirzali came from "the highest level in Azerbaijan", though French investigators have not officially implicated the government in Baku.

During the March 2021 attack in the centre of Nantes, Mirzali was stabbed approximately 15 times. French media reported that he still bears severe physical and emotional scars from the assault.

Among the key suspects is Emin Gasimov, who was arrested in France in June 2022 using a fake Moldovan passport. Another defendant, Rovshan Gojayev, remains at large and is being tried in absentia.

The trial, which is expected to last until 12 June, comes amid ongoing concerns for the safety of Azerbaijani dissidents in Europe.

In October 2024, another exiled Azerbaijani blogger, Vidadi Isgandarli, died after being stabbed at his home in Mulhouse, eastern France.