Latest News & Updates

Mammad Alpay A detained Azerbaijani activist has told a court that state bodies received millions of dollars from the US aid agency now linked to his criminal prosecution. Mammad Alpay, head of the Election Monitoring Alliance, spoke on Thursday at the Baku Grave Crimes Court, where he is on trial on charges including embezzlement and tax evasion. Alpay, who has been held in pre-trial detention for 15 months, denies all the charges against him and says the prosecution is poli

Zamin Salayev An Azerbaijani opposition activist has been placed in a punishment cell after protesting against the lack of air conditioning in his prison during hot weather, his family says. Zamin Salayev, who heads the Salyan regional branch of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), was moved to the disciplinary cell at Prison No. 11, his relatives said. According to his family, Salayev had demanded that the prison administration replace old, ineffective fans

Ramiz Mehdiyev Family businesses linked to Azerbaijan's former "grey cardinal" Ramiz Mehdiyev have continued to secure non-competitive state contracts, despite him being under house arrest on treason charges. Recent public procurement records show that Caspian Telecom LLC and printing giant Sharq-Garb ASC, both heavily linked to the Mehdiyev family, secured multiple state contracts and generated millions in revenue over the past year. Mehdiyev, aged 88, was placed under house

Farid Ismayilov A jailed Azerbaijani journalist has written an open letter from prison strongly rejecting a prosecutor’s demand for a 13-year sentence, saying that the state has effectively criminalised journalism. Farid Ismayilov, a reporter for the independent online media outlet Toplum TV, was among several media figures and political activists arrested in a sweeping crackdown. During a hearing at the Baku Grave Crimes Court on 8 June 2026, the state prosecutor demanded le

Mahammad Mirzali A French court has sentenced eight men to prison terms of up to 30 years for the attempted murder of an exiled Azerbaijani blogger. Mahammad Mirzali, a prominent critic of the government in Baku, survived a knife attack in the western city of Nantes in March 2021. On Wednesday, the Rennes Special Assize Court sentenced the mastermind of the attack, Emin Gasimov, to 30 years in prison. Rovshan Gojayev, who was tried in absentia, was sentenced to 25 years. Thre

Afgan Sadygov The family of jailed Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov say they have been barred from contacting him in prison, two months after his controversial deportation from Georgia. His wife, Sevinj Sadygova, said on Thursday that the founder of the independent Azel.TV news outlet had been banned from making phone calls from the Baku detention facility where he is being held. Azerbaijani authorities have not commented on the restriction. Mr Sadygov was arrested on 8 J

Iqbal Abilov Azerbaijan's Supreme Court has upheld an 18-year prison sentence for a prominent ethnic Talysh researcher convicted of treason, following a hearing in which he accused the state of systemic discrimination. Iqbal Abilov, the 37-year-old editor-in-chief of the Talysh National Academy News journal, had appealed against his conviction for allegedly collaborating with Armenian intelligence. During the hearing in Baku on 11 June, Abilov protested after the court reject

Mammad Ibrahim A court in Azerbaijan has extended the pre-trial detention of opposition leader Ali Karimli and his party colleague Mammad Ibrahim by five months. The Sabail District Court in Baku made the ruling on Wednesday following a petition from the State Security Service (DTX). Both men are senior members of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP). On the same day, the court also extended the house arrest of Ramiz Mehdiyev, the former head of the Presidential Administ

Ramil Babayev An imprisoned Azerbaijani activist has accused a Baku detention centre's deputy head of brutal torture, systemic abuse of power, and using "smart cameras" to cover up beatings. Ramil Babayev, a member of the independent Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI), smuggled a letter out of the Baku Detention Facility detailing severe allegations against the deputy head, Javid Gulaliyev. Babayev, who is currently detained as part of a wider state crackdown on the i

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Azerbaijan to drop all charges against independent reporters and activists facing up to 16 years in prison. State prosecutors in Baku requested the heavy sentences on 8 June for nine people associated with the independent online news outlet Toplum TV and its partner organisation, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI). In a statement released on 10 June, the US-based media watchdog said the prosecution's demands

Elkhan Aliyev The health of jailed Azerbaijani opposition activist Elkhan Aliyev has severely deteriorated after being denied urgent medical care, his party has said. The Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP) said Aliyev, who suffered a stroke shortly before his arrest, is being refused a promised MRI scan. Although he was promised medical services and an MRI scan, the matter is being delayed," the AXCP said in a statement. His family has managed to deliver some privately

The family of an Azerbaijani conscript who died two months into his national service have accused the authorities of a cover-up, alleging he was killed and that police blocked filming of his funeral. Natiq Mammadov, who served in the State Border Service (DSX) in the Nakhchivan enclave, died on 1 June. While local media reported he died of measles, his family have strongly rejected the claim. Yesterday they deployed 20 to 30 police officers here so that no one could film," hi

Ali Karimli An Azerbaijani court on Wednesday extended the pre-trial detention of prominent opposition leader Ali Karimli by a further five months, party members said. The Sabail District Court in Baku approved a request by the State Security Service (DTX) to keep the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) chairman in custody. Karimli was arrested on 1 December last year on charges of attempting to seize power by force and forcibly changing the constitutional order. The cou

Azerbaijan has used newly introduced "in absentia" trials to prosecute and convict exiled government critics over their online posts, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said. In a report released on Wednesday 10 June 2026, the rights group said Baku's heavy crimes courts had handed down prison sentences ranging from six to 16 years to Azerbaijani citizens living in Europe and the US. The convictions are being used as a tool for "transnational repression" to target activists beyond

An Azerbaijani opposition activist has filed a court petition accusing police of failing to account for a laptop and 17,000 manats (£7,800) in cash allegedly taken during his arrest. Akif Gurbanov, the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) and spokesperson for the Third Republic Platform, submitted the motion on Monday during a hearing at the Baku Grave Crimes Court. Gurbanov is one of several journalists and civil society figures detained in the high-profile

An Azerbaijani court has replaced all three judges overseeing the landmark trial of 12 independent journalists and activists linked to the media outlet Meydan TV. The decision to swap the entire panel at the Baku Grave Crimes Court has prompted warnings from defence lawyers that the proceedings, which began in December 2025, may now have to start from scratch. Zaur Hajiyev has been appointed as the new presiding judge, alongside Azer Taghiyev and Roman Alakbarli. The previous

Social media companies in Azerbaijan face heavy fines if they fail to block children under the age of 16 from creating accounts, under a draft law. Parliamentary committees in Baku discussed the proposals on Monday, following a presidential decree earlier this year to protect children online. Under the draft legislation, tech companies that violate the age restriction rules could be fined up to 40,000 manats (£18,500; $23,500). Officials who fail to enforce the rules face fin

Zabil Gahramanov The criminal investigation into prominent Azerbaijani defence lawyer Zabil Gahramanov has concluded, with prosecutors sending his case to court on fraud and hooliganism charges. Mr Gahramanov, who has been held in pre-trial detention since October 2025, now faces four criminal charges, including abusing his office to commit fraud and resisting authority. The case, which was initially opened by police in the western city of Ganja, was later transferred to the

Afgan Sadygov An Azerbaijani court has ordered the pre-trial detention of independent journalist Afgan Sadygov after reopening an extortion case that prosecutors had previously closed in April. The Binagadi District Court in Baku ruled that Mr Sadygov, the editor-in-chief of the online news outlet Azel TV, must be held in custody until 30 July. His lawyer, Nemat Karimli, said the decision followed a successful appeal by alleged victims to overturn a previous ruling by the Pro

Elvin Mustafayev The family of a jailed Azerbaijani trade unionist says he has been beaten and threatened with new charges after criticising the treatment of a fellow prisoner. Elvin Mustafayev, a member of the independent Workers' Table Trade Unions Confederation, was allegedly assaulted by prison staff at Prison No. 17 before being transferred to a Baku detention facility. His relatives told independent local media that the prison's regime chief, Samit Gafarov, threatened M