Baku Appeals Court Upholds Six-Year Prison Sentence for Ahmad Mammadli

Ahmad Mammadli

The Baku Court of Appeal has upheld a six-year prison sentence against journalist and public activist Ahmad Mammadli, rejecting an appeal to overturn his conviction. Judge Ali Mammadov presided over the panel that issued the decision on May 14.

According to the Committee for the Protection of Ahmad Mammadli’s Rights, Mammadli, the founder of the independent outlet Yoldas Media, initially petitioned the court for a full acquittal or to be transferred to house arrest due to health issues. During his address to the court, Mammadli stated that receiving a death sentence—despite the penalty being abolished in Azerbaijan—would be preferable to serving a six-year prison term under what he described as systematic torture.

Mammadli argued that previous judicial instances failed to objectively examine the case file. He noted that the prosecution did not present physical evidence of the alleged crime, stating that the knife reportedly used in the incident was never recovered and that investigators documented no bloodstains at the scene.

Defense attorney Elchin Sadigov also pointed to contradictions in the prosecution's case. Sadigov stated that the other passengers in the shared taxi where the incident allegedly occurred were not random bystanders. Instead, the defense established that these individuals were from the same village and were acquainted prior to the incident, which Sadigov argued indicated a coordinated effort to implicate Mammadli.

The case began with Mammadli’s arrest on May 6, 2025. Authorities charged him with hooliganism and intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, alleging that he stabbed another passenger, Vugar Dunyamaliyev, during a dispute in a shared taxi in the Bilajari settlement. The Baku Grave Crimes Court convicted and sentenced Mammadli on March 16.

Mammadli has denied all charges, maintaining that the prosecution is a response to his civic and journalistic activities. According to his testimony, he was the final passenger in the taxi and no altercation took place during the drive. He stated that unidentified individuals forcibly removed him from the vehicle, after which he was assaulted by the person later designated as the victim. Mammadli also stated that he was subjected to physical abuse following his arrest to extract a confession.