Mr Ruslan Izzatli is reputable for his contributions to participatory politics and commitment to youth engagement. As a political figure and civil society activist, Mr Izzatli has had a political and civic society background since the mid-2000s, rising in leadership positions.

He was born on April 18, 1989, in Aghdam district. He is married and has one child.

He received his secondary education in Barda district. In 2012, he received a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Art History of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts. In 2019, he graduated from Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul with a master’s in international relations and global politics. As a part of professional development, he graduated from the School of Political Sciences under the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (2011). He participated in the US Department of State’s IVLP (International Visitor Leadership Program) (2019).

From 2009 to 2012, he was chairman of the Whole Azerbaijan Youth Organization (Bütöv Azərbaycan Gənclər Təşkilatı). From 2012 to 2013, he was a member of the Board and Deputy Chairman of the Party of Hope (Ümid Partiyası). He resigned after the 2013 presidential elections, protesting the Party’s position endorsing election results, which was characterised as unfair by local and international elections observers.

The Mr Izzatli established the D18 Civic Movement in 2013, adhering to the republican ideals and legacy of the first democratic republic of Azerbaijan. During his chairpersonship period (until 2021), he successfully managed the enrollment of many bright young political activists.

Mr Izzatli ran twice as a candidate in two successive (2015 and 2020) legislative elections, but systematic electoral irregularities hampered his candidacy and election campaigning. Due to documented electoral irregularities in the 2020 parliamentary elections, results in his constituency were quashed, but new elections were not called.

As a civil society follower, the detainee contributed to developing digital marketing for crucial civic programs such as youth participation training, human rights advocacy and monitoring, and social awareness-raising issues. He was a leader of the SMM team at ToplumTV.

In mid-2020, despite having severe health problems, as a retaliation for his active political engagement, the detainee was illegally conscripted into military service. He participated in the Second Karabakh War and was awarded military honour medals.

On December 7, 2023, the Mr Izzatli co-founded the Third Republic Platform, the newly established opposition political movement with democratic transition, good governance, and decentralisation perspectives, becoming its founding member.

The Mr Izzatli participated in an advocacy trip with Mr. Akif Gurbanov, the Speaker of the Third Republic Platform, to the PACE Winter Session of 2024 in January when the PACE resolved not to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation. Upon the above-mentioned PACE resolution, the detainee publicly endorsed the non-ratification of the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation in essence.

On 9 March 2024, the BMGPD officially charged Mr Izzatli with conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling under Section 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code and served him with an arraignment. According to the arraignment, Mr Izzatli was charged with the following:

1. Smuggling (conspired beforehand with co-conspirators)

a) acting with the intention of greed and the purpose of gaining illicit income, conspired beforehand with co-conspirators [their names were mentioned above] and other persons (qeyriləri) whose identities were sought under preliminary investigation, unlawfully to transport a significant amount (xeyli miqdarda) of foreign currency to [Azerbaijan];

b) committed bulk cash smuggling that obtained currency in foreign countries, whose source is unknown to the preliminary investigation currently, at different dates, including 2023-2024, upon returning from various foreign trips to [Azerbaijan], either by evading customs control or misusing fraudulent documents or customs identification means or violating financial reporting requirements (either not declaring or wrongly declaring);

c) With other co-conspirators, they divided these among themselves and conducted various financial transactions, thus gaining considerable [illicit] income totalling 145342,18 AZN.

Legal Proceedings

On 09 March 2024, the prosecution authorities applied to the Khatai District Court to remand Mr Izzatli in custody, citing the gravity of the offences and the risk of the his absconding or obstructing the investigation. By a decision of 8 March 2024, the Khatai District Court ordered Mr Izzatli’s remand in custody for four months (until 6 July 2024), endorsing the remand application.

Mr Izzatli appealed against the detention order. On 15 March 2024, the Baku Appeal Court dismissed the appeal.

The prosecution applied to the Khatai District Court requesting an extension of the detainee’s remand in custody. The reasoning for the extension application was the same reasoning of the remand application and added an extension of the preliminary investigation period including potential new charges against Mr Izzatli.

On 04 July 2024, the Khatai District Court granted an extension of the remand in custody application, citing, inter alia, potential new charges against Mr Izzatli for four months by 06 October 2024 (Annex 13).

Mr Izzatli appealed the district court’s extension order, relying on the absence of an objective basis for the extension. On 11 July 2024, the Baku Appeal Court dismissed the appeal, endorsing the reasoning of the first-instance court.