Caspian Wire: No Pardons, Only Prosecutions— Azerbaijan’s Unrelenting Crackdown | May 2025
Prominent human rights defender’s trial begins
On May 26 the trial in the case of prominent rights defender Anar Mammadli commenced. Mammadli, was arrested in April 2024 on bogus smuggling charges. He leads the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS) known for its work on election monitoring and transparency in Azerbaijan. Ahead of COP29, which Azerbaijan was hosting in November 2024, Mammadli launched the Climate of Justice Initiative. He was arrested shortly after. In April 2025, the authorities escalated the charges against him from smuggling and money laundering to include unregistered entrepreneurial activities, tax evasion, and document forgery. The same month, authorities arrested civic activist Anar Abdulla as a suspect in a criminal case filed against Mammadli. The hearing held on May 26 was for Mammadli and Abdulla. He is facing the same charges as Mammadli.
Mammadli is a former political prisoner who was arrested in 2013 and sentenced in 2014. He was released two years and four months later, following a presidential pardon.
The next hearing will take place on June 2.
Presidential pardon mentions no political prisoners
On May 25, President Ilham Aliyev signed a new pardon decree, granting clemency to 220 convicted individuals. While 175 were released from the remainder of their sentences and 25 saw their terms halved, a significant omission has drawn widespread criticism: no political prisoners were included in the list. Among those pardoned was French citizen Théo Clerk Hugo, who had been sentenced to three years in 2024 for drawing graffiti on metro trains. This latest decree follows a similar pattern to the previous presidential pardon, signed on May 25 last year, which also notably excluded any individuals considered political prisoners. The last time president pardoned political prisoners was in 2023. According to human rights monitors there are currently more than 360 political prisoners in the country. Azerbaijani officials, however, continue to deny these claims, asserting that all individuals are prosecuted solely for their alleged criminal acts, not for political reasons.
Activist sentenced to 15 days in administrative detention
Civic activist Nicat Amiraslanov was sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention on petty hooliganism charges on May 25. The activist was detained in Gazakh region of Azerbaijan. It is alleged that his arrest was linked to him distributing brochures concerning the mysterious death of a high school student Elgun Ibrahimov whose death sparked public outcry. Amiraslanov spent time in administrative detention before – in 2024 and in 2017 – and was subjected to torture during past detentions according to his family and friends (Amiraslanov did not speak publicly of ill treatment he was subjected to).
Fazil Gasimov’s appeal hearing
On May 22, an appeal hearing took place at the Baku Court of Appeal in the case of Fazil Gasimov, an Azerbaijani economist and doctoral student at Istanbul University who was detained in Turkey and extradited to Azerbaijan, in August 2023. Gasimov was sentenced to nine years in March 2025. During the hearing on May 22, the defense requested that Gubad Ibadoglu be questioned in court. Gasimov was arrested as part of an investigation launched against Azerbaijani academic and economist Gubad Ibadoglu. Ibadoglu was arrested in July 2023.
Gasimov, also informed the court during the same hearing that he was reprimanded for starting a hunger strike on May 10 by being placed in a solitary confinement cell. The scholar went on hunger strike due to poor treatment at the facility and the sudden disappearance of his appeal from prison records.
Court refuses to release Azer Gasimli under house arrest
On May 21, a Baku court refused to release Azer Gasimli to house arrest. Gasimli is an opposition politician and the director of the Institute of Political Management in Azerbaijan. He was arrested on December 8, 2024, on bogus extortion charges and placed in four-month pretrial detention. If convicted, Gasimli faces up to ten years behind bars. His detention period was extended in April 2025. Gasimli’s lawyer, Agil Layic, reiterated on May 21 that a court order proves the politician committed no such act and that the person accusing Gasimli actually owes him money. The latter proves the absurdity of the accusation explained the lawyer.
Prosecutor requests lengthy jail sentences for Abzas Media journalists
On May 20, the state prosecutor requested 12-year prison sentences for Ulvi Hasanli, Hafiz Babali, and Farid Mehralizada. And 11-year sentences for Sevinj Vagifgizi, Mahammad Kekalov, Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova. In addition to lengthy prison sentences, the State Tax Service has requested the court approve a civil lawsuit demanding 64,000 manats in compensation. Additionally, the prosecutor has recommended seizing a Kia vehicle belonging to F. Mehralizada, along with 40,000 euros reportedly found in the ‘AbzasMedia’ office and over 20,000 manats across various bank accounts. Defense lawyers have until June 10 to deliver their closing statements, when the trial is set to resume.
The trial of the Abzas Media case officially commenced on December 17, 2024. The journalists were accused of smuggling and other serious economic crimes, including illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, and tax evasion. All journalists rejected committing these alleged crimes.
Labor rights activist placed in solitary confinement
Labor rights activist Elvin Mustafayev was reportedly placed in a solitary confinement cell after starting a hunger strike in support of Tofig Yagublu, an opposition leader who himself was on hunger strike for forty days in protest to the 9 year sentence handed down to him in March 2025.
Mustafayev spent 14 days in the cell and on May 20 it was announced that the period was extended by another ten days.
On May 22, the Supreme Court upheld the decision to keep the labor rights activist in prison. Mustafayev was arrested in August 2023, participating in a courier strike defending workers’ rights on bogus drug charges and sentenced to 3 years in prison in January 2024.
Mustafayev is a member of the Confederation of Workers’ Desk Trade Unions. In total four members of the confederation are currently behind bars on similar charges.
On May 29, the European Court of Human Rights adopted 4 judgments against Azerbaijan in 13 cases. In two of these judgments, the Court struck out the cases from its list, accepting a unilateral statement by the government. Among these cases was an application by Aykhan Israfilov, a member of the Confederation. The Court struck out the case by accepting a unilateral statement by the government, which acknowledged a violation of the applicant’s rights under Article 5 of the Convention (right to freedom).
The number of political party members facing arrests keeps growing
On May 20, two members of opposition Popular Front party were reportedly arrested. The number of party members who have faced arrests in recent months reached twenty. The two most recent arrests are that of party chairman’s bodyguard Novruz Tagiyev and member of the party’s regional branch Rashad Aliyev.
On April 1, the party’s leader Ali Karimli, reported his driver Zaur Rzali, was sent into 30 day administrative detention. He was charged with petty hooliganism and disobeying police.
The Popular Front claims the arrets are politically motivated.
Researcher of ethnic minorities sentenced to 18 years
On May 20, Igbal Abilov was sentenced to 18 years on bogus treason charges. Abilov is one of the founders of Belarus based Talysh National Academy and is the editor of its namesake magazine. The young scholar was arrested in July 2024, while visiting relatives in Azerbaijan.
On May 22, the PACE General Rapporteur for political prisoners, Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC), in a statement expressed her concern about the lengthy sentence handed to Abilov and its factual basis.
Court declines the request to release election transparency expert under house arrest
Mammad Alpay (Mammad Mammadzade) is the director of Election Monitoring Alliance. He was arrested on March 14, 2025, on charges of forgery, money laundering and abuse of power. On May 16, court declined the request to release Alpay under house arrest. Following the hearing, Alpay said, his arrest was linked directly to his election monitoring and human rights work.
Tofig Yagublu will remain in jail as per court decision
On May 20, the Baku Court of Appeal ruled to keep Yagublu in prison, confirming the sentence handed down in March 2025. Yagublu was arrested in December 2023. He was sentenced to nine years in March 2025. In protest, Yagublu started a hunger in April. After forty days, he stopped his hunger strike on May 10, 2025, as his health continued to deteriorate significantly.
The legal proceedings in the high-profile “Toplum TV case” continue to unfold, partial indictment announced
At the latest trial held on May 19 at the Baku Grave Crimes Court, parts of the indictment related to “Toplum TV” founder Alasgar Mammadli and Institute of Democratic Initiatives (IDI) director Akif Gurbanov were announced.
Separately lawyers for both Mammadli and political activist Ruslan Izzatli (from IDI) petitioned the court to replace their clients’ pre-trial detention with house arrest, but these requests were denied.
On march 6, 2024, Toplum TV faced criminal investigation in which at least ten individuals were arrested.
Although a criminal case was initially opened against them under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed in advance in collusion with a group of persons), new charges were brought against them in January 2025, with aggravating articles.
The next trial is scheduled for June 2.
Court rules to keep the war veteran behind bars
On May 14, the Khatai District Court rejected a motion to release Haci Valiyev, Chairman of “Young Veterans” Public Union, under house arrest. During the same hearing, Valiyev’s family learned, the war veteran was placed in solitary confinement on May 8 after an argument erupted when he complained to a doctor about severe eye pain. On May 12, the “Young Veterans” Public Union issued a statement indicating that Vəliyev requires examination and treatment at an eye institute. He reportedly told family members that his eye wound was festering and that adequate medical care for disinfection was unavailable at his place of detention.
Valiyev was first detained on March 31, 2025. He was sentenced to 22 days in pretrial detention in April 1, 2025 on hooliganism and property damage charges. This period was extended by two months on April 18. The veteran denies the charges. If convicted, he is facing a prison sentence of up to five years.
Haci Valiyev is known for his critical posts on social media. He had reportedly been detained and released on previous occasions. He has been particularly active in publicizing the problems faced by veterans who lost their health in the Second Karabakh War and the martyrs’ families.
The “Young Veterans” Public Union was established in 2021. Following his arrest, Valiyev’s pension and presidential scholarship cards were blocked.
Court refuses to release Aziz Orucov under house arrest
On May 12, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the original court decision which landed journalist and founder of Kanal 13 in jail sentencing him to two years on bogus illegal construction charges. Orucov was arrested in November 2023, on charges of unauthorized house construction. In December 2024, the journalist faced additional currency smuggling charges. However, once the investigation concluded, the smuggling charges were dropped. On February 25, 2025 Orujov was sentenced to two years in prison. He maintains that the charges against him are unfounded.
Preliminary investigation concludes, trial scheduled in the case of Majlis.info
Imran Aliyev and Elgiz Gahraman who managed an online platform Majlis.info were scheduled to appear for their first hearing on May 20 as part of a criminal investigation, in which both men are facing various spurious criminal charges. The hearing was rescheduled to May 27.
If convicted both Aliyev and Gahraman face a minimum of seven and up to twelve years behind bars.
Imran Aliyev was arrested in April 2024 and sentenced to pretrial detention on bogus smuggling (when committed repeatedly and when committed by a group) charges. During his time in pretrial detention which was extended multiple times, Aliyev was handed additional charges including abuse of power, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, document forgery and a number of other bogus charges Aliyev denies committing.
Elgiz Gahraman was placed under police supervision in February 2025, as part of the same investigation. He is facing the same charges as Aliyev. Gahraman was already on a travel ban since April 2024, as part of another investigation in the case of Abzas Media. His attempts to contest the ban in court failed.
Majlis.info was launched in 2023. The platform meticulously analyzed activities of the Azerbaijani parliament and the statements made by the members of the parliament, often of controversial nature.
Investigation in the case of Rufat Safarov finalized
Rufat Safarov is a prominent human rights defender who was arrested in December 2024 on spurious fraud and hooliganism charges. He was then sent into pretrial detention which was extended several times. On May 7, it was announced that the preliminary investigation launched against the rights defender was finalized.
Voice of America journalist Ulviyya Ali arrested
On May 7, 2025, journalist Ulviyya Ali (Guliyeva) was arrested by police in Baku, Azerbaijan. The police used undue violence during her arrest, and her home was ransacked. Following her arrest, a Baku court on May 7, 2025, ordered Ali held in pre-trial detention for 1 month 29 days on what appear to be trumped-up charges linked to her journalism work. Ulviyya Ali is the 11th journalist arrested in relation to the “Meydan TV case”. The journalist had worked as an Azerbaijani‐language correspondent with Voice of America until March 2025, when she was laid off as part of U.S. government budget cuts to public broadcasting. She is also alumni of IVLP program of the U.S. State Department.
Previously, she was banned from leaving Azerbaijan after the police interrogation on January 16th, in the case against independent media Meydan TV. Later, she tried to challenge travel ban, but a Baku court refused to consider her complaint. No further context was provided by the court regarding the refusal.
On May 16, an appeal hearing to release the journalist was declined.
Civic activist and Yoldash Media founder Ahmad Mammadli detained
On May 6, civic activist Ahmad Mammadli, founder of the recently launched YouTube platform “Yoldash Media,” was sentenced to four months of pre-trial detention on bogus stabbing charges. His lawyer has confirmed that Mammadli was subjected to ill-treatment and torture during his detention.
Mammadli had been placed under a travel ban in January 2024. At that time, he was informed that a criminal case had been opened against him on the alleged grounds of evading compulsory military service. Mammadli maintains that he had previously submitted official documentation to the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription, proving his admission to a master’s program at a Turkish university. Authorities, however, claim this document was forged, a charge Mammadli vehemently denies.
Prior to its closure, Mammadli served as the chair of the “Democracy 1918” political movement.
Arrested Meydan TV employees share a statement ahead of World Press Freedom Day
On May 3, from behind bars the imprisoned staff of Meydan TV have issued a powerful appeal marking the International Press Freedom Day.
In a defiant statement, the journalists declared: “We mark this day behind barbed wire, and from our enclosed cells, we address our country and the international community: We continue to challenge all oppressive regimes with our very existence and our activities. Those who think they have silenced us by throwing us into prison are unaware of the liberating power of imprisonment. There are no more worries; we are imprisoned, and from here, our voice will ring louder, heard more widely.”
In their call, the journalists asserted that the Azerbaijani government’s years-long suppression of independent media has finally yielded its intended result: “Today, no example of free media remains in Azerbaijan. The situation has reached a point where materials prepared by journalists from court proceedings are published only after being edited by an employee of the State Security Service.”