After surviving detention, attempted kidnapping, pursuit by agents of the Azerbaijani government, and a six-month fight against extradition, Azerbaijani dissident and Dutch citizen Fikret Huseynli has returned safely home to the Netherlands.
Huseynli crossed the border to Poland around noon on April 17, a day after his quick-thinking lawyer nabbed his confiscated passport from a Pechersk district court secretary.
From there Huseynli traveled back to Amsterdam, his lawyer, Dmytro Mazurok, told the Kyiv Post in a message.
His successful border crossing ends a saga in which the opposition journalist battled in court to stave off extradition, while avoiding kidnapping and extrajudicial “extradition” by agents of the Azerbaijani government.
Huseynli came to Ukraine in 2017 to open a branch of an Azerbaijani opposition television channel. While attempting to leave the country in October, he was detained on an Interpol red notice submitted by the Azerbaijani authorities, who accuse him of fraud and illegal border crossing.
Although Huseynli was released from state custody on the guarantee of a lawmaker and a Ukrainian human rights activist, the prosecutor confiscated his passport while carrying out an extradition check.
Following his release, Huseynli said he was harassed by Azerbaijani government agents. Last month, he reported that people presenting themselves as Ukrainian police attacked him at his rental apartment, attempting to detain him.
Some relief came on April 2, when a Kyiv court ruled not to extend restrictions on Huseynli’s movement.
That should have been good news for Huseynli, allowing him to finally return to Amsterdam. But the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office had illegally confiscated Huseynli’s passport and refused to return it.
Instead, the prosecutor wanted to hold another court session to impose new restrictions.
On April 16, a judge halted the hearing on such restrictions, with no ruling. He rescheduled for April 20. Lawyer Mazurok saw his opening.
“As soon as the judge announced the end of the hearing, I walked over to the court secretary and took my official document and Fikret’s passport,” he said.
“It turns out that quick reaction is sometimes more important than legal experience.”
Back in Amsterdam, Huseynli’s saga may not be entirely over. The Ukrainian authorities could now potentially add his name to the wanted list. However, even then, the journalist is safe.
“The Netherlands won’t hand him over,” Mazurok said. “It’s forbidden by their constitution.”
