Latest News & Updates

The number of people convicted on terrorism-related charges in Russia doubled last year to a record high of 2,078, according to a joint report by human rights groups. Research by the First Department rights project and Parubets Analytics found that convictions under Russia's terrorism laws in 2025 were the highest recorded since the country's current criminal code was introduced in 1996. In 2024, Russian courts convicted 1,021 people under the same statutes. Official figures

Ali Kerimli Supporters of jailed Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Kerimli say authorities have imposed harsh new restrictions on him in detention, including confiscating legal documents and blocking food parcels. The Defence Committee for Ali Kerimli, the leader of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), said existing difficulties surrounding his detention conditions had been deliberately escalated. In a statement, the committee said Kerimli was still being hel

Azerbaijan has safely brought back 16 of its citizens from Syria, the country's foreign ministry has announced. The group was returned on 18 and 19 July following an operation by a government taskforce dispatched to assist nationals stranded in conflict zones. Officials said the repatriated individuals received initial medical and psychological evaluations in Syria before being issued with emergency travel documents and flight tickets. In a statement, the ministry of foreign

Iran has executed two men connected to nationwide anti-government protests that swept the country earlier this year, state media reports. Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi were put to death on 19 July in the central city of Isfahan, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency. The two men were accused of filming a murder scene and transmitting the footage to overseas television channels. Mohammadi was reported to be an Afghan national. Details regarding thei

An opposition leader on trial in Azerbaijan over his links to independent outlet Toplum TV has accused authorities of attempting to destroy media freedom and the rule of law. Speaking in his final address to the Baku Serious Crimes Court on Monday, Akif Gurbanov said the prosecution against him and nine co-defendants was designed to silence critical voices. "They want the media not to be independent, and the court not to be independent," Mr Gurbanov told the court, presided o

Bakhtiyar Hajiyev Imprisoned Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has suffered physical violence and increased harassment in prison following a visit to Baku by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, his family says. Relatives told local news outlet Toplum TV that authorities at Penal Facility No. 6 had banned media materials, confiscated books and personal items, and ignored Hajiyev's official complaints. Pressure has also escalated against other inmates who s

Altay Goyushov A prominent Azerbaijani historian living in exile has warned that the government's attempts to silence dissent through criminal charges and repression will ultimately fail. Prof Altay Goyushov, who faces in-absentia arrest in Azerbaijan on charges of making anti-state appeals, told independent news outlet Meydan TV that the authorities were attempting to suppress all domestic criticism. Goyushov, a well-known academic and commentator now living in the United St

Taleh Bagirzade The teenage sons of jailed Azerbaijani religious activist Taleh Bagirzade are to stand trial following an altercation at a Baku school, a human rights defender has said. Arzu Abdulla said investigators had informed the family on 17 July that the pre-trial investigation into Mahammadhasan and Mahammadhuseyn Bagirzade was complete and the case had been referred to court. The older brother, Mahammadhasan, is charged with hooliganism and deliberately causing minor

Ludwig Mkrtchyan The family of an Armenian volunteer fighter jailed in Azerbaijan say his health has severely deteriorated due to a lack of medical care. Ludvig Mkrtchyan, who was captured during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, is reportedly suffering from serious heart damage, chest pains, and dangerously high blood pressure. His lawyer, Luciana Minassian, wrote on social media platform X that Mkrtchyan was "fighting for his life in Azerbaijani prison". Minassian accused auth

Ali Karimli The defence committee of jailed Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Karimli says his detention conditions have been severely restricted following an interview with a French broadcaster. Mr Karimli, who has been held in a State Security Service (DTX) pre-trial facility for nearly eight months, is reportedly facing increased physical and psychological pressure. His committee said the latest restrictions, which include a ban on receiving food parcels from his family an

Four Azerbaijani religious activists on a hunger strike demanding the release of jailed female journalists and activists have been moved to solitary confinement, family members say. The men, who are members of the Muslim Unity Movement (MBH), are being held at the Umbakı Penitentiary Complex near the capital, Baku. According to local journalist Arzu Abdulla, who spoke to the family of one of the detainees, Süleyman Ələkbərov, Vəli Allahverdiyev and Vüqar Alıyev began their hu

Ruslan Botashev A Russian military court has sentenced a man extradited from France to 18 years in prison for training and fighting with the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. Ruslan Botashev, 47, was convicted by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don of participating in a terrorist organisation and undergoing militant training. He will serve the first five years of his sentence in a high-security prison, with the remaining 13 years in a maximum-security penal

Arzu Geybulla A sweeping new law in Azerbaijan regulating social media platforms is a step towards establishing a permanent, institutionalised system of state control over digital expression, a leading media expert has warned. Under the legislation passed by the Milli Majlis (parliament), social media companies must verify that users are over 16, establish local representation in the country, and respond to government inquiries within five working days. Platforms that fail to

A key parliamentary committee in Abkhazia has rejected a proposal by President Badra Gunba to delay a law requiring election candidates to speak the Abkhaz language. The legislation, which was adopted in 2021, is scheduled to come into force on 1 January 2027. It mandates that all individuals running for parliament must be proficient in Abkhaz. President Gunba had proposed postponing the implementation of the language requirement until 2032 for candidates who are not ethnical

Dayanat Chalabiyev An Azerbaijani teacher on trial for stabbing a man has told a Baku court that he was framed because of his online criticism of the country's government. Dayanat Chalabiyev, 45, has been in custody for seven months since his arrest in December 2025. The English teacher faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted of hooliganism and intentionally causing serious harm to health. Speaking at the Baku Grave Crimes Court on 16 July, Mr Chalabiyev accused the judic

Aytaj Tapdig The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has demanded that Azerbaijan provide immediate medical treatment to jailed independent journalist Aytaj Tapdig, warning that her health is deteriorating behind bars. The US-based press freedom watchdog said Tapdig, who is being held under the high-profile Meydan TV prosecution, has been denied medical examinations despite suffering from severe breathing difficulties exacerbated by harsh prison conditions. During a court

A total of 379 Georgian public officials received cash, property and other gifts worth a combined 24m lari ($8.7m; £6.8m) over an eight-month period, according to an anti-corruption watchdog. Transparency International (TI) Georgia said the assets, declared between September 2025 and April 2026, included residential properties, land, luxury cars and firearms. The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, dismissed the findings, accusing the organisation of "mani

Kase Kik A Russian court has sentenced exiled Circassian activist Kase Kik to seven years in prison in his absence for allegedly spreading false information about the military. Speaking to the independent news outlet Caucasian Knot, Kik said the ruling was a "politically motivated" response to his human rights advocacy and criticism of the war in Ukraine. The Cherkessk City Court in southern Russia handed down the verdict, but Kik has lived outside the country since 2022. "I

Famil Baghirov An Azerbaijani man has been detained by police in Baku after complaining to an independent media outlet about an unresolved road accident involving a border guard. Famil Baghirov was taken from his home in the capital's Yasamal district on 14 July, one day after his video interview was published by the Berlin-based independent broadcaster Meydan TV. His family said four plainclothes officers took Mr Baghirov to an undisclosed location, leaving them without news

Haji Valiyev An Azerbaijani war veteran serving a prison sentence has accused the authorities of illegal detention, torture, and denying him essential medical treatment that has left him nearly blind. Haji Valiyev, the former head of the now-disbanded Young Gazis Public Union, made the appeal from prison, where he has been held for 16 months. Valiyev, who was sentenced to two years and six months in prison on 6 May 2026, said his health has deteriorated severely and he has be