Date of Birth: 6 February 2001
Detained Since: 20 November 2023
Affiliation: Social entrepreneur, civic activist, and AbzasMedia project coordinator

Charges:

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering in the form of an organised criminal group and a substantial amount (Articles 193-1.3.1 and 193-1.3.2)
• Conspiracy to commit illegal entrepreneurship in the form of an organised criminal group and an aggravated and significant amount (Article 192.3.2)
• Conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling in the form of an organised criminal group (Article 206.4)
• Conspiracy to commit tax evasion in the form of an organised criminal group (Article 213.2.1 of the)
• Forgery and the use of forged documents (Articles 320.1 and 320.2).

Conviction and Sentence:
On 20 June 2025, the Baku Assize Court sentenced Mahammad Kekalov to 7 years and 6 months’ imprisonment. The conviction was upheld on appeal on 9 September 2025, and the Supreme Court dismissed cassation appeals on 3 April 2026.

Political Prisoner Status:

His detention meets criteria (a) and (e) of PACE Resolution 1900 (2012):

• (a) Violation of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights.

• (e) Politically motivated prosecution linked to his association with AbzasMedia and broader independent civic activity.

Summary:

Mahammad Kekalov is a young Azerbaijani civic activist, journalist, social entrepreneur, and disability-rights advocate associated with AbzasMedia. Before his arrest, he was primarily known for projects focused on accessibility and the social inclusion of people with disabilities.

He was detained on 20 November 2023 during the Azerbaijani authorities’ crackdown on independent media and civil society actors connected to AbzasMedia. Plainclothes officers detained him at his home in Baku, and his whereabouts remained unknown for more than two days. He was later charged in the broader “AbzasMedia case” alongside journalists and media workers from the outlet.

Initially accused of conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling, the charges against him were later expanded to include illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, and document forgery. The prosecution alleged that AbzasMedia functioned as an organized criminal group financed through unlawful foreign funding.

The case against Kekalov relied heavily on allegations connected to EUR 40,000 reportedly discovered in the AbzasMedia office. However, no credible evidence publicly linked him to transporting, possessing, concealing, or controlling the money. The defense argued that there were no customs records, surveillance materials, forensic evidence, or reliable witness testimony connecting him personally to any smuggling activity. Human-rights organizations also reported that key witness testimony had allegedly been obtained under pressure and later retracted.

The prosecution further criminalized ordinary media and donor-related activity through broad conspiracy charges commonly used against Azerbaijani civil-society organizations. This approach closely resembles earlier politically motivated NGO prosecutions criticized by the European Court of Human Rights in cases concerning Azerbaijani civil society and independent activists.

International press-freedom and human-rights organizations, including Reporters Without Borders, have described the AbzasMedia prosecutions as politically motivated retaliation against independent journalism and civic activism. Kekalov’s inclusion in the case, despite his limited operational role and primary focus on social entrepreneurship and disability-rights work, reinforces the conclusion that the authorities sought to dismantle the broader network surrounding AbzasMedia rather than prosecute genuine criminal conduct.

His case is therefore widely regarded as politically motivated and part of the broader crackdown on independent media and civil society in Azerbaijan since 2023.

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