Latest News & Updates

Rufat Safarov A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced prominent human rights activist Rufat Safarov to eight years in prison, drawing sharp condemnation from international watchdogs. Safarov, the executive director of the Line of Defence human rights group, was convicted of fraud and inflicting bodily harm. He has consistently denied the charges, calling them politically motivated. The sentencing has been heavily criticised by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which described the ruling

Azerbaijan’s parliament is debating legislation to merge its media watchdogs into a single state regulator with sweeping powers to monitor digital content and penalise publishers. Under the proposed amendments discussed by the parliamentary Human Rights Committee on Tuesday, the new Media and Broadcast Council will absorb the functions of both the Media Development Agency (MEDIA) and the Audiovisual Council. The state-funded body will oversee the country's official media regi

Akif Qurbanov By Akif Qurbanov Akif Qurbanov, the spokesperson for the Third Republic Platform who is currently detained under the "Toplum TV case," has written an article concerning National Salvation Day. We present the article, published by the Khar Center, in its original form: This article analyses the narrative of "National Salvation" Day—considered the political and ideological foundation of authoritarian Azerbaijan—against the background of the global patterns of the

Akif Qurbanov An imprisoned Azerbaijani opposition leader has rejected his country's official National Salvation Day, describing the 1993 political transition as an authoritarian comeback by Soviet-era elites. Akif Qurbanov, the speaker of the Third Republic Platform political movement, made the claims in an essay written from prison. The text, published by the independent research group Khar Center, coincides with the national holiday on 15 June. Mr Qurbanov is currently in

Rufat Safarov The final courtroom speech of Rufat Safarov, Executive Director of the "Line of Defense" human rights organization: Honorable Court! Honorable State Prosecutor! Honorable and dear defense attorneys! Respected and dear friends, colleagues in our cause! It is no secret to anyone that the current trial does not stem from law, justice, or legal norms, but purely from the system of socio-political relations. It is a fact that at all stages of the investigation, the o

Rufat Safarov A court in Baku has sentenced prominent Azerbaijani human rights defender Rufat Safarov to eight years in prison following a trial his supporters say was politically motivated. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes found Safarov, the co-founder of the human rights organisation Defence Line, guilty of fraud and intentional infliction of bodily harm on 12 June 2026. A charge of hooliganism was dropped. His defence lawyers, Elchin Sadigov and Rovshana Rahimli, denied the

Ali Karimli An Azerbaijani appeal court has rejected a bid for release by the jailed opposition leader Ali Karimli, upholding a decision to extend his pretrial detention. The Baku Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed the complaint by Karimli, the chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP), against the extension of his custody. On 10 June, the Sabail District Court in Baku extended Karimli's detention by a further five months, following a previous four-month exte

Akif Qurbanov An imprisoned Azerbaijani opposition figure has challenged the government's official "Salvation Day" narrative, arguing that the 1993 power transition was an authoritarian comeback rather than a national rescue. Akif Qurbanov, the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI), wrote the political analysis from pre-trial detention, where he is being held in connection with a criminal case targeting independent media. The article, published by the Caspian

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