Russian authorities revoke nationality status of Azerbaijani mixed martial arts competitor
In a significant turn of events, Javid Rzayev, an Azerbaijani mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, has officially lost his Russian citizenship and is set to be deported to Azerbaijan. This decision comes after the Federal Security Service's directorate in the Saratov region found that Rzayev's actions had a negative impact on Russia's political and social stability.
The catalyst for this development was an incident last July during a pop-MMA tournament where Rzayev insulted another competitor, a Russian fighter, by calling him a "Russian pig." This led to a thorough investigation into the legality of how he obtained his Russian citizenship.
The decision to deprive Rzayev of his citizenship was published by a Telegram channel, Readovka. Despite losing his Russian citizenship, Rzayev has not been deported from Russia yet.
This revocation occurs amid rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan and heightened pressure on Azerbaijanis in Russia. Recently, Russian security operations in Yekaterinburg detained many ethnic Azerbaijanis (some Russian citizens) under criminal investigation pretexts, resulting in fatalities while in custody and sparking diplomatic disputes between the two countries.
Rzayev's actions were also deemed to pose a threat to Russia's national security. Last year, he was disqualified by the Russian Boxing Federation following the national insult. The Russian Boxing Federation also filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office over the incident.
It's worth noting that this is not the first time Rzayev has been embroiled in a scandal. Last November, he was involved in another incident at a local nightclub where he struck a DJ around 15 times in the body and head. This led to his disqualification from a fistfight tournament.
Despite these incidents, Rzayev later recorded a video apologizing publicly for the national insult. However, it seems that these apologies were not enough to prevent the loss of his Russian citizenship and subsequent deportation.
[1] References: The information in this article is based on various sources, including official statements and media reports. For more detailed information, please refer to these sources.
Amidst the escalating tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan, the loss of Russian citizenship by Azerbaijani mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Javid Rzayev is a significant development in the realm of crime and justice. This decision followed an investigation triggered by Rzayev's offensive remarks towards a Russian fighter during a pop-MMA tournament last July, which also led to his disqualification by the Russian Boxing Federation and a complaint to the Prosecutor General's Office.
