Azer Gasimli's Trial: Accusations Under Scrutiny

Azer Gasimli

The trial of Azer Gasimli, the director of the Institute of Political Management, continued on December 17 at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. Judge Telman Huseynov led the session, which moved into examining the case documents. During this process, some differences came up in the testimony of Gurbanali Yusifov, who is said to be the victim.

Yusifov claims that Gasimli threatened him and used coercion to get him to pay back a debt. But, the defense team pointed out a number of differences between what Yusifov said in his earlier written statements and what he said in court.

Inconsistencies in Testimony

Gasimli questioned Yusifov about the alleged threats made in a private office. Yusifov had to admit that he didn't have any proof or witnesses to support his claims. Yusifov had also said that he got threatening phone calls from Turkish mafia members who were working for Gasimli. He claimed there was a screenshot of this in the investigative materials, but a review of the documents during the trial didn't find any such evidence.

The differences became clearer as the session went on. Yusifov initially wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vilayat Eyvazov, saying that these mafia calls happened while he was in Antalya. But, in his court testimony, he changed his story and said the calls took place while he was in Baku. In addition, his first reports about the office threats said that other people were there, but his later statements to the investigation claimed that he and Gasimli were alone.

A Financial Dispute or Political Revenge?

Samira Gasimli, the politician’s wife, says that the issue is a private financial disagreement, not extortion. She says that in 2020, Yusifov managed a cryptocurrency account for Gasimli but misused the funds. A civil court in Mingachevir decided in Gasimli’s favor about the debt in early 2024. But, Yusifov supposedly sent a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in response, presenting the financial disagreement as a case of political coercion.

Azer Gasimli was arrested on December 8, 2024. He says that the charges under Article 182.2.3 (extortion using force) are completely made up and have political reasons. Gasimli is known for his public activism and was previously given a 30-day administrative arrest in 2018. He believes that this trial is a result of the pressure on independent political voices in Azerbaijan.

Human rights defenders estimate that there are close to 400 political prisoners in the country. The Gasimli case has become a point of interest for people who are watching the rule of law. The trial is scheduled to continue on December 24. The court will continue to deal with a case where the main evidence seems to change with each testimony.