Trial Approaches for Anar Mammadli and Fellow Civic Activists Amid Smuggling Charges

Anar Mammadli

The investigation into the criminal case against Anar Mammadli, head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDSC), and civic activist Anar Abdullayev has been completed, and the case has been submitted to the Baku Serious Crimes Court for trial.

According to the defense, the case has been assigned to Judge Aygun Gurbanova, and the preparatory hearing is scheduled for 26 May 2025.

Anar Mammadli was detained on 29 April 2024. On 30 April 2024, the Khatai District Court imposed a pretrial detention measure against him. He was initially charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons in prior collusion). Later, several additional charges related to financial crimes were added.

Anar Mammadli does not consider himself guilty and has rejected all accusations brought against him.

International human rights organizations recognize him as a political prisoner. Azerbaijani officials, however, state that no one in the country is persecuted for their political views or professional activity.

Shortly before the investigation concluded, civic activist Anar Abdullayev was also declared a suspect in the same case. He has been charged with the same financial crimes, including smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, and tax evasion. A police supervision measure has been imposed on him. He initially gave testimony at the Baku City Police Department.

This case is part of a broader crackdown that began in November 2023, when more than 30 journalists and civic activists in Azerbaijan were arrested on smuggling charges. Some of these charges were later expanded to include illegal entrepreneurship involving large-scale profits, smuggling by organized groups, tax evasion, document forgery, and the use of forged documents. All those detained have denied the charges, attributing them to their professional activities and politically motivated orders.

According to reports compiled by local human rights organizations, there are currently more than 365 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons. Officials, however, routinely emphasize that no one in the country is imprisoned solely for their professional activity or political beliefs.

Anar Mammadli was previously detained in late 2013. At that time, he was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison on charges including tax evasion and illegal entrepreneurship. He denied those charges as well. He was released under a presidential pardon issued by President Ilham Aliyev on 17 March 2016.

In 2014, Mammadli was awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.