Supreme Court Upholds 8-Year Sentence for Nazim Beydamirli, 'Ecology Prisoner'

Nazim Beydamirli

Baku, Azerbaijan – The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has upheld an 8-year prison sentence against prominent economist and former Member of Parliament, Nazim Beydamirli, who has been imprisoned for nearly two years. Beydamirli, who denies all charges and refers to himself as an "ecology prisoner," saw his cassation appeal rejected by the country's highest court.

The decision was rendered on June 24 by a panel of judges chaired by Shahin Yusifov. Beydamirli himself did not participate in the proceedings, having submitted a written request stating his wish not to attend.

Nazim Beydamirli, who served as an MP for the Gedabay-Tovuz electoral district from 2005 to 2010, was initially detained on July 4, 2023. He faces charges under Articles 182.2.4 (extortion with the aim of obtaining property in significant amounts) and 182.2.2 (repeated extortion) of the Criminal Code.

One of the key accusations against him alleges that he blackmailed Adalat Bagirov, the chairman of the Supervisory Board of "Avto Qarant" JSC (a company in which Beydamirli was also a shareholder), with intimate visuals, demanding 50,000 manats and ultimately receiving 10,000 manats. Another charge points to an alleged extortion incident in Lipetsk, Russia, dating back to 1996.

Beydamirli consistently rejects these charges, labeling them fabricated. He asserts that he himself had previously sent complaints to various state bodies regarding Bagirov's actions.

On September 30, 2024, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced him to 8 years of imprisonment.

Lawyer's Response and Future Steps

Following the Supreme Court's decision, Beydamirli's lawyer, Agil Layic, stated that the criminal case should have been terminated on exculpatory grounds. Layic emphasized the absence of substantial evidence to support the charges against his client.

With domestic legal remedies now exhausted, Layic announced their intention to consult and file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.

It is also reported that a number of properties belonging to Nazim Beydamirli and his family members, currently held in Penitentiary Establishment No. 13, have been seized. According to his relatives, this seizure extends even to cars that had been sold previously through a power of attorney.

Alleged Political Motivation and 'Ecology Prisoner' Status

Beydamirli himself claims his arrest is politically motivated and directly linked to the protests in the village of Soyudlu, Gedabay. In June 2023, Soyudlu residents protested the environmental poisoning of a lake by water flowing from a local gold processing plant, a situation he openly criticized.

A few days before his arrest, government-affiliated media outlets named individuals, including Nazim Beydamirli, as organizers of the Soyudlu events. Beydamirli stated that when he was summoned to the "Bandotdel" (Organized Crime Department), he was informed he was detained due to the Soyudlu events. He believes he was "chosen as a sacrifice" in connection with these protests, leading him to adopt the moniker "ecology prisoner."

Human rights defenders have recognized Nazim Beydamirli as a political prisoner.