Date of Birth: 24 February 1996
Detained Since: 6 March 2024
Affiliation: Independent multimedia journalist; coordinator, Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI); contributor, Toplum TV

Charges:

• Conspiracy to commit illegal entrepreneurship (Art. 192.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering (Arts. 193-1.3.1, 193-1.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling (Art. 206.4)

• Conspiracy to commit tax evasion (Art. 213.2.1)

• Arranging employment of a substantial number of employees without labour contracts (Art. 162-1)

Conviction and Sentence:
Trial ongoing before the Baku Assize Court. No conviction or sentence to date.

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

• Violation of freedom of expression and association under the ECHR.

• Prosecution is politically motivated, aimed at silencing him for his civil society leadership and media work with IDI and Toplum TV.

Summary:
Ali Zeynalov is an independent journalist and media trainer with experience as a reporter, presenter, and fact-checker since 2016. He has worked for various outlets producing social videos and training young journalists. At the time of his arrest, he was serving as coordinator of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI), closely linked to Toplum TV, one of Azerbaijan’s most influential independent media outlets.

On 6 March 2024, police raided the offices of IDI, Toplum TV, and the Third Republic Platform (TRP), arresting staff and seizing equipment, phones, and documents. Authorities claimed to discover 123,048.96 AZN in cash across offices and apartments during searches conducted without lawyers present. Detainees insist the money was planted while they were under police control.

Ali was formally charged on 8 March 2024 with conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling. In March 2025, prosecutors escalated charges to include illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, and labour-code violations. His trial began on 2 April 2025 and is ongoing.

The case is plagued by serious procedural violations: reliance on undisclosed “operational information,” searches conducted under police control without safeguards, and lack of verifiable evidence connecting him to the alleged cash or financial crimes. Courts repeatedly extended his pre-trial detention.

Pro-government media launched sustained smear campaigns portraying him and IDI/Toplum TV as part of a Western-backed “fifth column.” The arrests fit a broader state-orchestrated crackdown on NGOs and media beginning in late 2023, following restrictive laws on media (2021) and political parties (2022). This mirrors the 2013–2014 repression cycle condemned by the European Court of Human Rights.

International observers have denounced his case as part of politically motivated repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan.

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