Bahruz Samadov is a peace activist, political analyst, and PhD candidate at Charles University in Prague. He frequently wrote for publications covering the region, including OC Media and Eurasianet, and he was a regular guest on the Caucasus Digest podcast. In his work, Samadov was critical of the Azerbaijani government's military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Samadov went missing on the afternoon of August 21, 2024, before being taken into custody by Azerbaijan's security services. His grandmother reported that six people approached her, identified themselves as state security officers, and searched the residence, initially claiming they were seeking drugs but did not find any. The officers took Samedov’s paperwork, diplomas, and two laptops before leaving.

On August 23, 2024, it was confirmed that Samadov was detained under the high treason charges. The Baku Court placed him under pre-trial detention for four months. Samadov has rejected the charges.