Charges Intensified Against Civil Society Activists in NGO Case

BAKU – In a significant development, civil society activists who are defendants in a wide-ranging criminal case concerning local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are facing intensified charges. According to reports, new accusations have been brought against some of the accused, with the process expected to continue for others involved in the investigation by the Prosecutor General's Office. This escalation applies to both activists currently in detention and those under alternative restrictive measures, such as house arrest or police supervision.

The case has drawn considerable attention, with arrests beginning in March 2025. One of the prominent figures, Bashir Süleymanlı, head of the Institute for Citizens' Rights, has had his charges amended. His lawyer, Fariz Namazlı, confirmed the new allegations, although he stated that he did not have information on the status of other defendants in the case.

Süleymanlı, who was arrested on March 14, 2025, was initially charged under the Criminal Code with legalizing property obtained by criminal means (Article 193-1.3.2), abuse of office with serious consequences (Article 308.2), and official forgery (Article 313). The charges have since been expanded to include repeated legalization of criminally obtained property and using an official position to do so (Articles 193-1.2.2 and 193-1.2.3). While the abuse of office charge was reclassified to a slightly less severe article (308.1), the combined potential sentence for these offenses is up to 12 years in prison.

Mr. Suleymanli denies all charges, asserting that his arrest is a direct result of his work as a human rights defender.

The investigation has impacted numerous civil society figures. Arrests in the "NGO case" in March 2025 also included Mammad Alpay (Mammadzadeh), the executive director of the Election Observation Alliance. Others detained in April include activist Asaf Ahmadov and social worker Zamin Zaki.

Several other activists are under alternative restrictive measures. Hafiz Hasanov, head of the "Law and Development" Public Union, was placed under house arrest. Others, like Mehriban Rahimli, a former consultant for the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), and Galib Bayramov, chairman of the Center for Economic Research, have been placed under police supervision for the duration of the investigation.

Additionally, arrest warrants have been issued for activists Sübhan Hasanli and Aytac Agazadeh, who are currently outside the country.

Sources indicate that more than 100 individuals have been drawn into the investigation. This includes staff from local offices of international donor organizations and even some heads of pro-government NGOs. Lawyer Fariz Namazlı has stated that the investigation is likely to conclude soon, after which the case will be sent to the Grave Crimes Court for trial.

This recent wave of arrests and investigations is reminiscent of a similar case in 2014 when the Prosecutor General's Office also targeted NGO leaders. At that time, prominent figures such as Intigam Aliyev, Anar Mammadli, Leyla Yunus, and Rasul Jafarov were arrested. In all of their cases, the European Court of Human Rights later found violations of Article 18 of the Convention, which prohibits the restriction of rights for improper purposes. Following the 2014 arrests, significant legislative changes were made that restricted the activities of NGOs, drawing criticism from international bodies like the Venice Commission.