Date of Birth: 14 June 1975
Died: 20 July 2018 during a law-enforcement operation
Affiliation: No formal political affiliation; private resident of Ganja with personal and religious associations to individuals prosecuted in the Ganja case.

Charges:

• Attempted aggravated murder (Arts. 29, 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.10 and 120.2.11)
• Preparation for terrorism (Arts. 28, 214.2.1, 214.2.3 and 214.2.6)
• Terrorism committed by an organized group, with weapons and on grounds of religious hostility, radicalism or fanaticism (Arts. 214.2.1, 214.2.3 and 214.2.6)
• Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of firearms, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices by an organized group (Art. 228.3)
• Illegal manufacture or repair of firearms or their component parts, or manufacture of ammunition, explosives or explosive devices by an organized group (Art. 229.3)
• Preparation for an attack on the life of a State or public figure (Arts. 28 and 277)
• Attack on the life of a State or public figure (Art. 277)
• Forcible seizure or retention of State power or forcible alteration of the constitutional order under the version in force before October 2016 (Art. 278)
• Forcible alteration of the constitutional order, including its secular character, or seizure of State power on grounds of religious hostility, radicalism or fanaticism (Art. 278.2)
• Participation in attacks carried out as part of an unlawful armed formation or armed group resulting in death or other grave consequences (Art. 279.3)
• Violent resistance against a representative of authority in connection with the performance of official duties (Art. 315.2)

Conviction and Sentence:

On 16 August 2021, more than three years after Anar Bagirov’s death, the Baku Assize Court posthumously found him guilty of the charged offences. Because he was deceased, no criminal punishment was imposed and the proceedings were terminated on that basis. His legal successor appealed, seeking termination on exonerating grounds and maintaining his innocence rather than accepting termination merely because of his death. The Baku Court of Appeal nevertheless upheld the first-instance outcome on 15 April 2022.

Political Prisoner Status:

Unlike the other defendants, Anar Bagirov cannot technically be classified as a political prisoner under PACE Resolution 1900 (2012) because he was killed before trial and was therefore no longer deprived of liberty when the judgment was delivered. However, the source concludes that his prosecution should be regarded as a politically motivated process:

• The historical allegations against Bagirov were incorporated into a much broader political and security narrative portraying him as part of an organized Islamist group seeking to commit terrorism, assassinate State officials and overthrow Azerbaijan’s secular constitutional order.
• The proceedings continued after his death despite his inability to testify, confront witnesses or challenge the evidence, while his family disputed the official circumstances of his killing and sought his full exoneration.

Summary:

Anar Bagirov was an Azerbaijani citizen from Ganja who was accused of being an early participant in the group allegedly organized around Yunis Safarov. The prosecution claimed that Bagirov and Hamlet Abdullayev had obtained and stored firearms and ammunition in 2012, allegations that were later incorporated into the broader terrorism and anti-State conspiracy attributed to the defendants in the Ganja case. Bagirov was killed on 20 July 2018 before he could stand trial.

The authorities stated that Bagirov had been declared wanted and was located in the Khojasan area of Baku. According to the official version, he opened fire when officers attempted to detain him and was killed when special forces returned fire. His family categorically disputed this account, maintaining that he had not offered armed resistance and that the allegation was used to justify his killing.

Despite his death, the criminal proceedings continued for more than three years and culminated in a posthumous finding of guilt. Bagirov could not give evidence, confront witnesses or personally challenge the allegations. His sister and legal successor sought his acquittal, stating that more than 30 defence motions had been rejected and that an important person allegedly present during the fatal operation was never brought before the court. An international fact-finding investigation also identified concerns over whether deaths during the relevant arrest operations had received prompt, independent, effective and transparent investigation.

Bagirov’s case is regarded as part of the politically motivated Ganja proceedings, although his death means that he does not technically qualify as a current political prisoner under PACE Resolution 1900. The source concludes that historical weapons allegations and personal or religious associations were used to incorporate him into a much broader terrorist and anti-State conspiracy, while the authorities continued to secure a finding of guilt after his death despite unresolved questions surrounding both the evidence and the circumstances in which he was killed.

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