Trial of Activist Zamin Zaki Begins

Zamin Zaki

On October 29, a preliminary hearing was held in the Baku Court for Serious Crimes regarding the case of activist Zamin Zaki, who was arrested in connection with the case "against a number of local NGOs."

During the session, lawyer Gunay Ismayilova petitioned for the termination of the criminal case on acquittal grounds due to the lack of credible evidence of the activist's guilt.

"Zamin Zaki is accused of 'legalizing' 57 thousand manats (about 33.5 thousand US dollars). Since when have grants become 'property obtained by criminal means'? The use of grants not registered by a state body can, according to the law, be qualified as an administrative offense at maximum," the lawyer noted.

The defense also petitioned, in the event the criminal case was not terminated, to at least transfer Zaki to house arrest until the end of the judicial investigation. Another motion by the defense was related to allowing Zaki to sit next to his lawyer. The judge, having satisfied only the latter request, accepted the case for trial and scheduled the substantive hearing for November 12.

In March 2025, the criminal case against "a number of local and foreign NGOs," which was opened back in 2014 and suspended 5 years ago, was resumed. Ten people, including Zamin Zaki, were charged as defendants within the framework of the criminal case.

This case has become part of a broader campaign to shut down operating conditions for independent civil society institutions and their financing from foreign donor sources.