Public Activist and Media Founder Ahmad Mammadli Sentenced to Four Months in Pretrial Detention

Ahmad Mammadli

On May 8, 2025, the Binagadi District Court imposed a four-month pretrial detention measure on public activist and founder of Yoldash Media, Ahmad Mammadli. He is being prosecuted under Articles 126.2.4 (deliberately inflicting serious harm to health) and 221.3 (hooliganism involving the use of a weapon or items used as weapons) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. If convicted, Mammadli faces up to 11 years in prison.

Mammadli has denied the charges and claims he is being targeted due to his media work and activism. As he was brought to court, he shouted: “I was arrested because of Yoldash Media! Free media cannot be silenced!”

His wife, Turkan Mammadli, informed Meydan TV that Ahmad was subjected to torture and deprivation of food and water while in police custody. According to her, he was kept without food or water for two days and remains in poor condition. She added that officers pressured him to unlock his phone, and when he refused, they used electric shock against him.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mammadli was detained on the evening of May 6 in connection with a stabbing incident that allegedly occurred around 10:00 p.m. in the Bilajari settlement on R. Ismayilov Street, where a man named Vuqar Dunyamaliev sustained abdominal injuries. Authorities claim Mammadli was identified as the suspect and taken into custody.

However, Mammadli’s relatives insist the incident was staged and that he was assaulted rather than being the aggressor. They maintain that the charges are fabricated, aimed at silencing his political voice.

Prior to his arrest, Mammadli had been filming outside the courthouse where opposition figure Tofig Yagublu was on trial after 38 days of hunger strike. He is also known for his leadership roles in the now-dissolved D-18 Movement and the Student Power Center, as well as for his criticism of the Azerbaijani government on social media and participation in protests.

In 2022, Mammadli was sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention after criticizing President Ilham Aliyev online. He claimed that his detention was politically motivated, linked to his advocacy for peace and democratic values. Since then, he has been under a travel ban.

Mammadli's case comes amid a broader crackdown on political activists and independent media in Azerbaijan. Over the past year, several opposition figures, including Kenan Zeynalov of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party and labor union leader Afiyaddin Mammadov, have faced similar charges and long prison sentences. As of May 2025, local human rights groups estimate that there are around 360 political prisoners in Azerbaijani jails. The government denies these arrests are politically motivated.