Caspian Wire: Heavy Prison Sentences Handed to Civil Society Activists | March 2026

March 2026 was defined by two parallel crises: an accelerating crackdown inside Azerbaijan — with heavy sentences against journalists, activists, and opposition figures — and an external shock when Iranian drones struck the Nakhchivan exclave on 5 March, pulling the country into the widening regional conflict. This bulletin draws on verified reporting from independent Azerbaijani media and international human rights organizations.

01 — Nine Women Journalists Behind Bars on Women’s Day

As the world marked International Women’s Day on 8 March, nine women journalists in Azerbaijan were spending it in prison — jailed on spurious charges for their independent reporting. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee published a dedicated report on 9 March documenting their cases and calling for their immediate release.

Azerbaijan ranked 167th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2025 Press Freedom Index — the highest number of politically motivated journalist imprisonments since the country’s independence. At least 25 media workers are currently jailed or under investigation.

The Nine Women

Several detainees suffer from serious health conditions and are being denied adequate medical care. The case of Aynur Elgunash is particularly alarming: she is physically disabled, has undergone multiple surgeries, and requires ongoing treatment that is unavailable in detention. Amnesty International confirmed in February that at least three Meydan TV journalists are being denied urgently needed medical care.

Fatima Movlamli: “Freedom — One Year Behind”

On 28 February, journalist Fatima Movlamli marked one year of detention at Baku Investigation Detention Center by writing a letter published by Meydan TV. She described her arrest in striking terms: masked operatives surrounding her, handcuffs without explanation, a planted search, money hidden under her pillow, and a “puppet judge” fulfilling the order the next day.

“I felt free the moment I was arrested — because I had known for a long time that it was coming. I chose this prison, along with all the deprivations that came with it.”

— Fatima Movlamli, Baku Investigation Detention Center, 28 February 2026

02 — Wave of Harsh Sentences in March

March saw a striking volume of heavy prison sentences handed to journalists, academics, civil society activists, and political figures — all of whom reject the charges as politically motivated.

• Azer Gasimli, political scientist — 12 years (11 March). The defence stated that over a year of investigation produced not a single piece of corroborating evidence for the intimidation charges.
• Zamin Zaki, social worker, NGO case — 7.5 years (11 March).
• Ahmad Mammadli, founder of Yoldash Media — 6 years (16 March).
• Tofiq Yaqublu, opposition politician — 9 years, Baku Serious Crimes Court (10 March). He launched a hunger strike; his family appealed to the president citing risk to his life.
• Fazil Gasimov, academic — 9 years on fabricated currency counterfeiting charges. He testified that police electroshocked him and held his head in a toilet to coerce him into incriminating anti-corruption scholar Gubad Ibadoghlu.
• Martin Ryan, French businessman — 10 years on espionage charges (17 March).

Tofiq Yaqublu: “They Will Kill Me Like Navalny”

Opposition politician Tofiq Yaqublu began a hunger strike after his sentencing and had gone without food for at least 24 days by late March. His daughter stated: “Responsibility for his life rests with Ilham Aliyev.” Before sentencing, Yaqublu had reportedly said: “I choose my own death” and “They will kill me like Navalny in the end.” His family appealed to the president for house arrest.

APFP: A Party Under Systematic Dismantlement

On 2 March, Emil Salim, Chair of the APFP Youth Committee, was transferred from administrative detention to the State Security Service (DTX). Family and lawyer were denied information on his whereabouts for days. The APFP stated the 20-day administrative sentence for “spreading false information online” was a pretext for SSS interrogation. More than 20 APFP members are currently detained on various charges. Party leader Ali Karimli and Presidium member Mammad Ibrahim face charges of attempting to forcibly seize power — allegations the party categorically rejects.

NGO Case — Civil Society Criminalized

Prosecutors launched criminal investigations against multiple NGOs in March for “illegal entrepreneurship” and “tax evasion,” leading to continued prosecution of Bashir Suleymanli (Institute for Civil Rights), Mammad Mammadzade (Election Monitoring Alliance), Asaf Ahmadov, and Zamin Zaki. Suleymanli’s family reported he is being subjected to pressure in isolation.

03 — Detention Conditions and Ill-Treatment

Labor rights activist Aykhan Israfilov wrote from Penitentiary Colony No. 10 that a “barracks dictatorship” has taken hold there, with systematic social isolation and collective punishment. Separately, prisoners at the same colony were reportedly forced to stand in outdoor formation in the rain at temperatures at or below 12°C — a violation of minimum detention standards under Azerbaijani law, which prohibits outdoor formation below that threshold.

Former MP Nazim Baydemirli was hospitalized while in detention on 27 March. His family was given no information about his health condition or treatment. A young man who had been released under a general amnesty was arbitrarily returned to prison without any new court order — a case reported by Abzas Media in March.

Two believers were detained in March, reportedly on religious grounds. One stated: “Police tried to put my head in the toilet.”

“A real barracks dictatorship has formed here.”

— Aykhan Israfilov, labor rights activist, writing from Penitentiary Colony No. 10, March 2026

04 — Media Freedom: Courts, Censorship and Threats

“Ilham Aliyev,” “Dictatorship,” “Regime” Struck from Court Hearings

Akif Gurbanov, spokesman for the Third Republic Platform, reported in March that court protocols are being systematically edited to remove political terms such as “Ilham Aliyev,” “dictatorship,” and “regime” — even when defendants use these words in open court. The practice effectively falsifies the historical record of political trials.

Female Journalists Threatened with New Criminal Cases

The warden of Baku Investigation Detention Center threatened the women detained in the Meydan TV case with new criminal charges if they did not comply with facility rules — a form of institutional intimidation documented and published by Meydan TV in March.

RSF: Free All Jailed Journalists

Reporters Without Borders called in March for the release of journalist Farid Mehralizada and all journalists detained in Azerbaijan. Mehralizada stated: “I was arrested for my economics reporting at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.” The Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism counted 30 imprisoned journalists in Azerbaijan as of 31 December 2025.

Supreme Court Issues “Right to be Forgotten” Ruling

Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court issued a “right to be forgotten” interpretation in March allowing individuals to demand deletion of published online information. Experts warned this mechanism could be weaponized by powerful figures to suppress accountability journalism and erase inconvenient reporting from the public record.

05 — Iranian Drones Strike Nakhchivan

On 5 March, two Iranian kamikaze drones struck Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave in the first direct military strike on Azerbaijani territory since the 2020 war. One drone hit the terminal of Nakhchivan International Airport; another landed near a school in the village of Shakarabad. Two civilians were injured. The attack occurred as the US–Israel–Iran conflict widened across the region.

President Aliyev called it a “terrorist act” and vowed those responsible would face Azerbaijan’s “Iron Fist.” Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally blamed Iran; Iranian armed forces denied responsibility.

“The Azerbaijani state strongly condemns this ugly terrorist act, and those who committed it must be immediately held accountable.”

— President Ilham Aliyev, 5 March 2026

Border Closure and Humanitarian Impact

Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers immediately suspended all freight transit at the Iranian border on 5 March. Over 500 drivers were stranded at the Astara crossing, with goods spoiling and fuel running out. By midnight on 6 March, approximately 1,500 trucks had accumulated. Qazetci correspondents reported drivers saying: “We’ve been in Iran for over 15 days. Our fuel is running out. Our money is gone. We called the embassy — no one picked up.” Freight transit resumed on 6 March.

International Reactions

• United States: The State Department “strongly condemns” the “unprovoked drone attack by the Iranian regime” targeting civilian infrastructure and a children’s school.
• Turkey: Condemns strikes on “third countries” and reaffirms solidarity with Azerbaijan.
• European Union: Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calls the strikes “completely unacceptable” and warns of escalation risk beyond the Middle East.

Geopolitical Context

Analysts at the Gulf International Forum and CEPA note that Nakhchivan sits at the heart of the planned east-west TRIPP corridor — linking Baku to Turkey and European markets — a route Iran views as a strategic threat. As IRGC capacity weakens under US and Israeli pressure in western Iran, the South Caucasus is being pulled into a secondary conflict zone. President Aliyev declared the army had been placed on its highest level of mobilization readiness.

06 — International Accountability

Council of Europe: ECHR Rulings Not Implemented

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers formally stated in March that Azerbaijan is failing to implement European Court of Human Rights rulings related to the arbitrary detention of government critics. The Committee noted these are not isolated cases but reflect a systemic pattern. Azerbaijan continues to engage selectively with Council of Europe bodies, retaining the benefits of membership while ignoring accountability conditions.

ECHR: €130,000+ Against Azerbaijan for Forced Demolition

The European Court awarded over €130,000 in compensation to a family whose apartment in Baku’s Sabail district was demolished without adequate process or remedy — a case involving forced evictions and property rights violations.

UN Submission: Torture Is Systemic

A statement submitted to UN mechanisms in March documented that torture and human rights violations in Azerbaijan are systemic. The submission referenced doctoral researchers Bahruz Samadov and Igbal Abilov — arrested in 2024 for peaceful academic activity — as illustrative of the broader pattern.

HRW: Formula One Should Put Human Rights in the Driver’s Seat

Human Rights Watch called on Formula One ahead of the Baku Grand Prix to use its leverage to press for the release of political prisoners — noting the stark contradiction of hosting a major international sporting event while journalists and activists remain behind bars.

07 — Repression Beyond Azerbaijan’s Borders

Human Rights Watch documented in February that Azerbaijan is expanding its crackdown on activists in exile. In March, criminal investigations were launched in absentia against several exiled bloggers on charges including terrorism, incitement to mass riots, fraud, and attempted coup. All deny the allegations.

A source who had been blocked from leaving Azerbaijan told Qazetci they were permitted to leave only after Russia’s SVR Director Narışkin personally called President Aliyev — illustrating the transactional nature of movement restrictions imposed on perceived critics.

Azerbaijani authorities separately demanded that BBC News Azerbaijani halt its operations in Baku — part of a sustained campaign to eliminate independent international media presence inside the country.

A statement published by Qazetci in March reported an intimidation and smear campaign against the outlet. The editorial board issued a public statement rejecting the pressure and affirming their commitment to independent reporting.

08 — Energy, Sanctions and Geopolitics

An EU energy commissioner publicly described Azerbaijani gas supplies as “a pillar of European energy security” amid the Middle East crisis — a framing that critics argue provides Baku with political cover for its human rights record. The Southern Gas Corridor continues to create structural incentives for European institutions to soften public criticism of Azerbaijan.

SOCAR’s Kulevi terminal in Georgia narrowly escaped inclusion on the EU’s latest Russia sanctions list — an outcome that Abzas Media described as significant and that raises questions about the consistency of sanctions enforcement where Azerbaijani state energy interests are involved.

Caspian Wire is a monthly human rights bulletin produced by Free Voices Collective.