Elvin Mustafayev Denied Legal Access Amid Prolonged Solitary Confinement

Elvin Mustafayev

Labor rights activist Elvin Mustafayev, currently serving a prison sentence in Azerbaijan, remains in prolonged solitary confinement and has been repeatedly denied access to his lawyer, raising alarm among human rights defenders and his family.

Mustafayev, a member of the “Workers’ Table” Confederation of Trade Unions, was arrested in August 2023 and initially charged with transporting narcotics for sale as part of a group. The charges were later modified to possession of a large quantity of drugs without intent to sell. He was sentenced to three years in prison on January 31, 2024, by the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. Mustafayev has consistently denied the charges, attributing them to his political and labor activism.

On May 6, 2025, while held at Penitentiary Facility No. 13, Mustafayev launched a hunger strike demanding the release of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu. Shortly afterward, he was placed in solitary confinement (karser) and transferred to Facility No. 6. Although initially sentenced to 14 days in the punishment cell, that period was extended by 10 days, and then again by an additional month, extending his confinement until June 29.

Throughout this period, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova has attempted to visit him but has been denied access by prison authorities. “I came to Penitentiary Facility No. 6 to meet with Elvin Mustafayev,” Sadigova wrote on Facebook on June 4. “But they are telling me that the warden does not allow the meeting.” In a separate interview with Meydan TV, she explained: “I submitted all my documents, everything was in order. After waiting over 45 minutes, I was told the warden had refused the visit.”

Mustafayev’s family is deeply concerned about his health and views the repeated extensions of solitary confinement as politically ordered retaliation. According to them, prison authorities have provided no justification for the extended karser sentence.

Human rights organizations in Azerbaijan have recognized Mustafayev as a political prisoner. Reports estimate that there are currently more than 365 political prisoners in the country. Government officials, however, deny these allegations and assert that all legal processes are being followed.

As of early June, Mustafayev remains isolated in solitary confinement, cut off from legal representation, amid growing concerns over his physical and legal well-being.