Date of Birth: 8 January 1990
Detained Since: 8 August 2023
Affiliation: Azerbaijani economist; Doctoral researcher, Istanbul University (Turkey)

Charges:

• Manufacturing, acquiring, or selling counterfeit currency, government securities, or foreign currency, or securities denominated in foreign currency, with intent to sell, committed by an organised criminal group (Art. 204.3.1, Criminal Code)

Conviction and Sentence:
On 13 March 2025, the Baku Assize Court convicted Fazil Gasimov under Article 204.3.1 and sentenced him to 9 years’ imprisonment. His appeal is currently pending before the Baku Court of Appeal.

Political Prisoner Status:

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

• (a) – violations of rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, including liberty and security, fair trial, freedom of expression and association.
• (e) – prosecution driven by ulterior political motives, linked to the broader case against opposition economist Gubad Ibadoghlu and an alleged FETO connection.

Summary:

Fazil Gasimov is a young Azerbaijani economist and doctoral researcher at Istanbul University. He lived and worked in Istanbul until 7 August 2023, when he was abducted in Istanbul by Turkish police, transferred to a deportation centre, denied access to a lawyer, and presented with a deportation order issued in his absence. On 8 August 2023, he was handed over at the airport to officers of the Baku Department for Combating Organised Crime (BDCOC) and transferred to Azerbaijan under an arrest warrant issued by the Narimanov District Court.

He was charged with participation in an organised criminal group allegedly involved in counterfeit currency operations under Article 204.3.1. The case is explicitly tied by the authorities to the politically motivated prosecution of opposition leader and academic Gubad Ibadoghlu, with both men accused of links to the so-called “Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation” (FETO) – a label used as a political pretext rather than backed by independently verifiable evidence.

His trial before the Baku Assize Court, which began in August 2024, relied almost entirely on statements by law-enforcement officers, prosecution-selected witnesses, and a state-controlled forensic report that merely confirmed the counterfeit nature of the banknotes. The court identified no credible evidence that Gasimov manufactured, acquired, or distributed counterfeit currency, or that he belonged to an organised criminal group. The proceedings ignored serious due-process violations surrounding his abduction, deportation, and denial of access to counsel.

International human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned the case as politically motivated and connected to the wider crackdown on civil society and independent voices in Azerbaijan.

Download full legal analysis here as PDF