Rising Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan Hits 375

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has reached 375

On June 9, 2025, the Alliance for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan released its latest roster of individuals recognized as political prisoners, reporting a rise from 357 in February to 375 people today. This significant uptick underscores mounting concerns over politically motivated prosecutions in Azerbaijan.

Since October 2012, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has defined “political prisoner” under Resolution No. 1900, establishing criteria—such as detention for non-violent political expression—by which to evaluate individual cases. The Alliance first applied these standards in its February 12, 2025 list (357 names) and has now identified 18 additional cases, reflecting a broader pattern of legal action against dissenting voices.

The June update categorizes 375 political prisoners into 12 groups, highlighting the breadth of Azerbaijan’s crackdown:

• 241 religious believers, largely detained for alleged affiliation with proscribed groups

• 39 opposition party members and civil society activists, including noted figures such as Bashir Suleymanli and Mammad Alpay

• 29 journalists and bloggers, among them Ulviyya Ali

• 6 human rights defenders

• 5 ethnic minority activists

• 2 anti-war activists

• 5 political refugees deported from Germany

• 12 individuals serving life sentences

• 2 people detained under the “Soyudlu case”

• 13 people arrested in the “Imishli protest” over a fatal January traffic incident

• 8 people convicted in the “Tartar case”

• 13 people imprisoned in the “Ganja case”

Notable new additions include Ahmad Mammadli, a prominent civil activist, and Imishli protestors who demonstrated against a police vehicle crash that killed three children.

The roster was drafted by Leyla Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and Elshan Hasanov, Head of the Center for Monitoring Political Prisoners. They emphasize that the list is not exhaustive but represents the most comprehensive inventory applying PACE’s criteria.

Yet, Baku authorities steadfastly reject these designations. Government spokespeople insist that all detainees have been prosecuted for specific criminal offenses—not for their beliefs

or activism—and that no one is imprisoned for exercising fundamental political rights.

International human rights organizations—including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch—have repeatedly called for the immediate release of Azerbaijan’s political prisoners, citing due-process deficiencies such as pre-trial detention without adequate legal counsel, coerced confessions, and trials lacking transparency.

Moreover, differing tallies among civil society groups reveal inconsistencies: some lists omit entire categories (e.g., anti-war activists) or undercount high-profile cases. This fragmentation diminishes the impact of advocacy and underscores the need for a unified, verifiable registry.

For Azerbaijan’s civil society, the growing tally represents both a chilling of dissent and an urgent call to coordinate domestic and international pressure on the government. As President Ilham Aliyev prepares future pardon decrees—none of which have yet benefitted those on the political prisoner list—advocates hope that public scrutiny will force concessions.

With 375 names now recorded, Azerbaijan stands at a crossroads: will it continue using its judiciary as a tool of political control, or will it heed calls—both at home and abroad—to uphold basic freedoms? As monitoring bodies prepare their next reports, all eyes will be on upcoming court sessions and any future amnesty decrees. Until then, each new addition to the list serves as a stark reminder that the struggle for political rights in Azerbaijan remains unresolved.