Baku: An appeal filed against the verdict of Zahir Asgarov, a former ship captain of the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet, accused of high treason, has been reviewed. A decision was announced today at the Baku Court of Appeal during a session chaired by Judge Habil Mammadov. The appeal was denied, and the ruling of the first-instance court was upheld.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Zahir Asgarov was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment by the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. In November 2023, the State Security Service (SSS) revealed that during counterintelligence activities against espionage operations conducted by representatives of Iranian intelligence agencies against the Republic of Azerbaijan, it was determined that Zahir Fakhraddin Asgarov, who worked as a ship captain in the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet, had been recruited for covert cooperation by Iranian intelligence during his religious studies in Qom, Iran, in exchange for material benefits.
Over time, under their instructions, Asgarov gathered information detrimental to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and defense capabilities, including details about foreign companies and representatives operating in the country, the location and timing of military naval drills in the Caspian Sea, and cargo transported to oil platforms. He passed this information to Iranian intelligence both via mobile phone and directly during meetings in Iran, thus committing espionage and high treason.
Zahir Asgarov was arrested during an operation conducted by the SSS in November last year, and he was charged under Article 274 (high treason) of the Criminal Code.