Azerbaijan Targets Exiled Critics with Criminal Charges and Arrest Warrants

Azerbaijan’s authorities have stepped up legal pressure on government critics living in exile, issuing arrest warrants and criminal charges against several high-profile bloggers, activists, and former officials accused of serious offenses ranging from fraud and terrorism to inciting public unrest.

In March and April 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office summoned a number of exiled Azerbaijanis for questioning by its Investigative Department. The list included former business magnate Ilgar Hajiyev, bloggers Mahammad Mirzali and Qabil Mammadov, lawyer and YouTube channel host Qurban Mammadov, and media figures Elshad Mammadov and Tural Sadigli.

According to official statements, the charges involve violations of numerous provisions of the Criminal Code, including Article 178.3.2 (large-scale fraud), Article 220.2 (calls for mass unrest), and Article 281.1 (public calls to overthrow the constitutional order or undermine territorial integrity).

One of the highest-profile names is Ilgar Hajiyev, the former head of “Akkord,” a construction company that won numerous state tenders in Azerbaijan. Now in exile, Hajiyev has become a vocal critic of the government and was reportedly ordered to appear before the Investigative Department on July 14. An arrest warrant has been issued in his name.

France-based blogger and former Azerbaijan Popular Front Party member Mahammad Mirzali has also been charged. According to reports, Mirzali was declared a suspect in 2018 under Articles 220.2 and 281.1 for allegedly encouraging resistance to government officials and calling for violent action. He has claimed that before seeking asylum, he was detained and mistreated by police, and that his father was repeatedly threatened. Mirzali was reportedly stabbed in France, and suspects in that incident were arrested. He denies all charges, attributing them to his outspoken activism.

Another outspoken critic, blogger Qabil Mammadov, has been charged under 24 articles of the Criminal Code, including terrorism-related offenses. Legal expert and “AzeriFreedom” channel host Qurban Mammadov, previously imprisoned in Azerbaijan, also faces terrorism-related charges. Rights organizations have previously recognized him as a political prisoner—an allegation Azerbaijani officials reject.

On May 31, the Binagadi District Court approved in-absentia arrest warrants for three additional figures: blogger Tural Sadigli, activist Orduxan Babirov (widely known as Orduxan Temirkhan), and former Azerbaijan International University rector Elshad Abdullayev. Babirov is accused of inciting mass unrest, while Sadigli faces additional charges of fraud and forgery.

None of the defendants are currently in Azerbaijan, and all have rejected the accusations. Most have stated that they believe the legal actions are retaliation for their criticism of the Azerbaijani government.

Efforts to obtain comments from the accused have so far been unsuccessful. Azerbaijani authorities consistently deny that political persecution takes place and reject the existence of political prisoners in the country.

The growing use of legal tools to pursue exiled critics signals a widening crackdown on dissent—one that extends far beyond Azerbaijan’s borders.