Azerbaijan detains former activist Haji Hajili on smuggling charges

Haji Hajili

An Azerbaijani court has ordered the three-month detention of former public activist Haji Hajili on smuggling charges following his recent return from Norway, local media report.

Mr Hajili is currently being held at the Baku Investigation Prison in Kurdakhani, according to reports. He is the former husband of the prominent Azerbaijani writer Gunel Movlud.

He reportedly faces prosecution under Article 206 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, which covers smuggling. The precise details of the allegations against him have not yet been made public.

News of the arrest was initially published by several Azerbaijani news outlets, including the independent website Gununsesi.info, but the articles were subsequently removed without explanation.

State authorities and judicial bodies in Baku have not yet commented on the detention or the charges.