Azerbaijan’s Opposition Leader Ruslan Izzatli Conscripted Despite Health Diagnosis

Ruslan Izzatli

Lead/Introduction

On May 25, 2020, Ruslan Izzatli, chairman of the D18 Movement, was abruptly conscripted into military service—despite four separate medical evaluations certifying him unfit. His allies say this forced mobilization is the latest example of legal harassment against independent voices in Azerbaijan.

Background

• Who Is Ruslan Izzatli?Izzatli emerged as a vocal critic of the government during the February 9, 2020 parliamentary elections, running in District 33 (Khatai II). When suspicions of vote‐rigging arose, he and several other candidates filed complaints that ultimately led the Central Election Commission to annul the results and order a re‐run.

  
  

• The D18 MovementFounded in 2018, D18 has campaigned for transparent elections and free speech. In late 2019, their offices in Baku were padlocked and one board member lost his job under what activists describe as “politically motivated pressure.”

  
  

• Press Freedom ClimateAccording to Reporters Without Borders, Azerbaijan’s ranking slipped to 167 out of 180 countries in 2019, citing increased arrests of journalists and crackdowns on social media.

  
  

New Developments

On May 25, at 7 a.m., Izzatli was summoned to the Aghdam Military Commissariat. Although a 2007 medical commission—reaffirmed in August 2019—had ruled him unfit for peacetime service, the new paperwork arrived with a revised diagnosis, stating only “occasional nausea.” By May 6, the Aghdam Central Clinic’s final report had confirmed his kidney condition; two days later, that finding was erased from his file.

Details & Quotes

• Medical Discrepancies

  “On May 4, I was called to Aghdam for a medical exam. On May 6, the clinic confirmed my kidney disease. By May 8, that report was altered in Baku to say I was healthy,” Izzatli told Radio Liberty.

  Private examination in Baku revealed a 5 mm herniated disc pressing on his spine—making long periods of standing or sitting impossible. His doctors recommended urgent physiotherapy and declared him unfit for service.

  
  

• D18’s Reaction

  Samira Agayeva, acting chair of D18, said:

  “We expected this move. They used every possible tool—firing our board member, evicting us from our office, applying election‐day pressure. Now they’ve forced our chairman into the army. If anything happens to his health, the authorities will be held fully responsible.”

  
  

• Official Silence

  Efforts to contact the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription went unanswered. Government spokespeople typically insist that “no one in Azerbaijan is targeted for peaceful political activity.”

  
  

Analysis/Reactions

• Pattern of Legal Harassment

  Activists note that conscripting dissidents—often reversing prior medical exemptions—is a tactic used in 2018 and 2019 against several journalists and NGO workers. In April 2019, reporter Leyla Mustafayeva faced a similar mobilization, only to be released after international outcry.

  
  

• International Response

  Human Rights Watch issued a statement on May 26:

  “The Azeri government’s arbitrary enlistment of opposition figures violates both domestic law and international norms.”The U.S. State Department, however, has not publicly commented on Izzatli’s case.

  
  

Conclusion

As of late May 2020, Izzatli remains in service at an undisclosed unit within N‐numbered military division. A re‐run of the District 33 election is scheduled for July, but with Izzatli forcibly sidelined, many worry the opposition’s ability to campaign has been irreparably weakened. Observers say this case exemplifies how legal and medical procedures can be manipulated to silence dissent in Azerbaijan.