Mammadli's Motions Denied as Court Prepares for Full Trial

Anar Mammadli

In a series of preparatory hearings on June 30, 2025, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes rejected all motions filed by the defense in the case of Anar Mammadli, head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDSC), and public activist Anar Abdullayev. The court, presided over by Judge Aygun Qurbanova, has now set July 7 for the commencement of the full trial.

Mammadli's lawyer, Elchin Sadigov, had sought to terminate the criminal case against his client or, alternatively, to have him released to house arrest. Sadigov argued that the case was baseless and lacked credible evidence, also questioning the provenance of signatures on some documents presented as evidence. Additionally, motions to exclude materials reportedly found on Mammadli's phone and computer from the evidence list were denied. The court's decision cited a lack of grounds for terminating the criminal case.

Anar Mammadli was initially detained on April 29, 2024, and charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code, pertaining to smuggling committed by a group of persons in preliminary conspiracy. While Mammadli has consistently pleaded not guilty, the charges against him were later aggravated to include illegal entrepreneurship, legalization of criminally obtained property, and tax evasion, offenses that carry potential sentences of up to 12 years in prison. International human rights organizations consider Mammadli a political prisoner.

Anar Abdullayev was recognized as a suspect on April 8, 2025, as part of the same criminal investigation. He faces charges under multiple articles of the Criminal Code, including illegal entrepreneurship, false entrepreneurship, smuggling, tax evasion, and forgery of official documents, state awards, seals, stamps, and blanks. Abdullayev initially testified at the Baku City Main Police Department and has since been placed under police supervision.

This case unfolds amidst a broader crackdown in Azerbaijan. Since November 2023, over 30 journalists and public activists have been arrested in groups, predominantly on charges of smuggling. While some have seen their accusations intensified with additional charges like large-scale illegal entrepreneurship and organized group smuggling, many, including Mammadli, maintain their innocence and assert that their arrests are politically motivated in retaliation for their professional activities.

Local human rights organizations report that there are currently over 350 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons. Azerbaijani officials, however, routinely state that no one in the country is arrested based on their professional activities or political grounds.