Date of Birth: 18 April 1989
Detained Since: 8 March 2024
Affiliation: Co-founder, Third Republic Platform (TRP); founder and former chair, D18 Civic Movement; former Deputy Chair, Party of Hope

Charges:

• Conspiracy to commit illegal entrepreneurship (Art. 192.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering (Arts. 193-1.3.1, 193-1.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling (Art. 206.4)

• Conspiracy to commit tax evasion (Art. 213.2.1)

• Arranging employment of a substantial number of employees without labour contracts (Art. 162-1)

Conviction and Sentence:
Trial ongoing before the Baku Assize Court. No conviction or sentence to date.

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

• Violation of freedom of expression and association under the ECHR

• His prosecution is politically motivated and aimed at silencing an opposition political figure and civil society leader

Summary:
Ruslan Izzatli is a prominent Azerbaijani opposition politician and activist known for his commitment to youth engagement and participatory politics. A former Deputy Chair of the Party of Hope (2012–2013), he resigned in protest after the party endorsed fraudulent elections. In 2013, he founded the D18 Civic Movement, which he chaired until 2021, cultivating a new generation of pro-democracy activists. He twice ran for parliament (2015, 2020), though both campaigns were marred by systemic fraud; in 2020, results in his constituency were annulled due to irregularities but not re-run.

Despite health problems, he was illegally conscripted into military service in 2020 as retaliation for his political activism. On 7 December 2023, he co-founded the Third Republic Platform (TRP), focused on democratic transition and decentralisation. In January 2024, he joined an advocacy mission to the PACE Winter Session, where he publicly supported the decision to revoke the credentials of Azerbaijan’s parliamentary delegation.

On 8 March 2024, he was detained as part of coordinated raids against IDI, Toplum TV, and TRP offices. Police claimed to discover 123,048.96 AZN in cash during searches of offices and staff apartments, though detainees allege the money was planted while they were under police control. He was charged with bulk cash smuggling, with charges later escalated to include money laundering, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, and labour-code violations.

The investigation has been marked by serious procedural violations: denial of legal counsel, reliance on undisclosed “operational information,” and searches conducted under police control without safeguards. Courts repeatedly extended his pre-trial detention. Pro-government media have carried defamatory campaigns portraying him as part of a Western-backed “fifth column.”

His arrest fits the broader crackdown of 2023–2024, echoing the repression of 2013–2014: restrictive laws on media (2021) and political parties (2022) set the stage for mass arrests of opposition figures, NGO leaders, and independent journalists. This coordinated campaign seeks to dismantle informal civic networks and suppress dissent.

International human rights organisations have denounced his detention as politically motivated.

Download full legal analysis here as PDF