Date of Birth: 21 March 1972
Detained Since: 8 July 2018
Affiliation: No formal political affiliation; self-employed computer technician and practicing Muslim from Ganja; 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)
• Public calls for terrorism (Art. 214-2)
• Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of firearms, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices by an organized group (Art. 228.3)
• Illegal acquisition, storage, transportation or carrying of narcotics with intent to sell in aggravated circumstances (Art. 234.4.3)
• 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, partition of territorial integrity or seizure of State power on grounds of religious hostility, radicalism or fanaticism (Art. 278.2)
• Public calls directed against the State in aggravated circumstances (Art. 281.3)

Conviction and Sentence:

On 16 August 2021, Jeyhun Salahov was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment, with the first four years in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime institution. The court found insufficient evidence of intent to sell narcotics and therefore reclassified Article 234.4.3 to Article 234.1. The Baku Court of Appeal upheld the judgment on 15 April 2022, and the Supreme Court rejected cassation on 3 May 2024.

Political Prisoner Status:

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

• (c) The lengthy 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 a broad terrorist and anti-State conspiracy based largely on association, communications and disputed evidence.
• (e) The proceedings were affected by serious fair-trial concerns, including allegations of planted evidence, disputed proof of criminal intent, insufficient individualization of responsibility and unresolved evidentiary contradictions within the broader alleged conspiracy.

Summary:

Jeyhun Salahov is an Azerbaijani citizen and computer technician who was detained on 8 July 2018 following Yunis Safarov’s attack on the then head of the Ganja City Executive Authority, Elmar Valiyev. Salahov knew Safarov and several defendants through personal and religious circles but denied belonging to an organized terrorist group.

The prosecution relied mainly on Salahov’s contacts with Safarov, telephone communications, religious and political material on his Facebook account and an electronic recording allegedly given to him by Safarov for later publication. Salahov denied knowing of any terrorist purpose and maintained that, through his computer-service work, he had copied electronic materials without knowing their alleged content or purpose. Significantly, he had previously helped police identify Safarov following Safarov’s 2017 attack on security officer Elshan Nasibov.

Serious concerns arose regarding the evidence against him. Salahov alleged that police planted narcotics in his pocket while he was handcuffed. The trial court itself subsequently rejected the aggravated element of the original narcotics accusation, finding insufficient evidence of intent to sell. The prosecution nevertheless used the narcotics allegation, his religious and social-media material, personal associations and handling of electronic files as elements of a much broader terrorism and anti-State case.

Mr. Salahov’s case is regarded as part of the broader pattern of politically instrumental prosecutions arising from the 2018 Ganja events. The principal concern is that personal association, digital material and disputed narcotics evidence were extended into responsibility for an organized terrorist and anti-State conspiracy without sufficiently individualized proof of his knowledge and criminal intent. Salahov remains on the political-prisoner list.

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