Date of Birth: 11 May 1977
Detained Since: 5 July 2018
Affiliation: No formal political affiliation; private resident of Ganja with religious associations; prosecuted in connection with the 2018 Ganja case involving Yunis Safarov.

Charges:

• Attempted aggravated murder (Arts. 29, 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7 and 120.2.11)
• 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)
• 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 alteration of the constitutional order or seizure of State power on grounds of religious hostility, radicalism or fanaticism (Art. 278.2)

Conviction and Sentence:

On 16 August 2021, the Baku Assize Court found Jafar Zalov guilty and sentenced him to 18 years’ imprisonment. The Baku Court of Appeal upheld the conviction on 15 April 2022, and the Supreme Court rejected the cassation appeals on 3 May 2024.

Political Prisoner Status:

His imprisonment meets criteria (c) and (e) of PACE Resolution 1900 (2012):

• (c) The 18-year sentence appears clearly disproportionate to the conduct individually and reliably established against him. He was not shown to have directly participated in Safarov’s attack but was held responsible for an extensive terrorist and anti-State conspiracy based on association, alleged assistance and disputed evidence.
• (e) The proceedings were affected by serious fair-trial deficiencies, including allegations of torture and fabricated evidence, restrictions on effective defence, rejected defence requests, contradictory witness evidence and insufficient individualization of criminal responsibility.

Summary:

Jafar Zalov is an Azerbaijani citizen and private resident of Ganja who was detained on 5 July 2018, two days after Yunis Safarov’s attack on the then head of the Ganja City Executive Authority, Elmar Valiyev. Zalov was not a political activist or public religious leader. His prosecution arose primarily from his personal and religious connections with Safarov and others whom the authorities portrayed as members of an organized Islamist group.

The prosecution alleged that Zalov assisted Safarov while he was hiding from the authorities by arranging accommodation, providing money and a mobile telephone, helping him change locations and allegedly supplying ammunition. Zalov acknowledged helping Safarov find accommodation but denied knowing of any plan to attack Valiyev or overthrow the government and rejected membership in a terrorist organization.

Serious concerns arose regarding how the incriminating evidence was obtained. Zalov testified that he was held for ten days at the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime, beaten and subjected to electric shocks, after which he signed statements without reading them. He also disputed the weapons evidence and alleged that police had planted weapons during a search. Two witnesses denied in court making incriminating statements attributed to them during the investigation.

Safarov himself also undermined a central part of the prosecution’s case, telling the court that he had never discussed establishing a Sharia State or carrying out a coup with Zalov or the other defendants because he had no such plan. Zalov’s defence rights were further affected when the court refused to accept his rejection of his State-appointed lawyer and denied requests for audio and video recording of the proceedings.

Zalov’s case is regarded as part of the broader pattern of politically instrumental prosecutions arising from the 2018 Ganja events. Limited assistance to and personal association with Safarov were extended into liability for attempted murder, terrorism and forcible constitutional change despite allegations of torture, disputed physical evidence and repudiated witness statements. Jafar Zalov remains listed as a political prisoner.

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