Namizad Safarov is a human rights lawyer and civil society activist known for defending political prisoners, documenting allegations of torture and ill-treatment and advocating for fair-trial rights and the rule of law. He practised as a lawyer from the early 1990s until his removal from the Azerbaijani Bar Association in 2005, a decision he attributed to his public criticism of the Bar’s leadership. 

Safarov was a co-founder of the Azerbaijan Lawyers’ Forum, an organisation that was reportedly denied state registration. In 2019, after human rights defender Ogtay Gulaliyev was seriously injured in a traffic collision, Safarov served as interim coordinator of the Committee Against Repression and Torture. Through this work, he documented politically motivated prosecutions and allegations of torture and advocated for the rights of detainees and political prisoners.

On 9 December 2025, Namizad Safarov was detained by plain-clothes officers and subsequently charged with large-scale fraud. The prosecution alleges that he obtained AZN 53,000 from a woman by promising to arrange her reinstatement to employment. Safarov denies knowing or meeting the alleged victim and maintains that the case was fabricated in retaliation for his political views, public criticism of the authorities and human rights activities. He is currently on trial before the Baku Grave Crimes Court.