Date of Birth: 11 October 1986
Detained Since: 14 July 2018
Affiliation: No formal political affiliation; serving police officer with the Ganja Regional Security Department; 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, 120.2.6, 120.2.7, 120.2.10 and 120.2.11)
• Aggravated robbery (Arts. 181.3.1 and 181.3.3; later removed by the court from the legal qualification)
• 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)
• Unlawful acquisition of firearms, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices by theft or extortion in aggravated circumstances (Arts. 232.3.1 and 232.3.2)
• 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 Vugar Mammadov guilty and sentenced him to 19 years’ imprisonment, with the first four years to be served in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime institution. The court expressly removed Arts. 181.3.1 and 181.3.3 (aggravated robbery) from the legal qualification while retaining the remaining counts. The Baku Court of Appeal upheld the judgment 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 19-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 and evidence indicated that, as a police officer, he reported Safarov to the authorities and attempted to prevent the attack.
• (e) The proceedings were affected by serious fair-trial deficiencies, including unresolved contradictions in the evidence and insufficient individualization of criminal responsibility, particularly the failure to reconcile Mammadov’s cooperation with police with the finding that he shared Safarov’s alleged terrorist purpose.

Summary:

Vugar Mammadov is an Azerbaijani citizen who was serving as a police officer with the Ganja Regional Security Department when he was detained on 14 July 2018 following Yunis Safarov’s attack on the then head of the Ganja City Executive Authority, Elmar Valiyev. Mammadov knew Safarov and had previously helped him find accommodation, but pleaded not guilty and denied that he had knowingly participated in any terrorist plan.

A central contradiction in the case was Mammadov’s cooperation with law enforcement. After Safarov’s June 2017 attack on security officer Elshan Nasibov, Mammadov stated that he recognized Safarov from security footage, informed his police superior and assisted efforts to locate him. He also warned his superior that Safarov intended to attack Valiyev. Together with Hamlet Abdullayev, he approached Safarov’s father-in-law in an effort to dissuade Safarov from carrying out the attack.

Despite this evidence, Mammadov was convicted of attempted aggravated murder, terrorism, weapons offences and forcible constitutional change. Safarov himself stated at trial that the attack was his own initiative and that the other defendants had not helped him. The courts did not adequately resolve how Mammadov’s actions in reporting Safarov, assisting the investigation and attempting to prevent the attack could be reconciled with the finding that he participated in the same continuing terrorist conspiracy.

Mammadov’s case is regarded as part of the broader pattern of politically instrumental prosecutions arising from the 2018 Ganja events. His case is particularly significant because the State prosecuted one of its own police officers as a terrorist co-conspirator despite evidence that he had reported Safarov, assisted the police response and warned of the threat to Valiyev. He continues to be included on the political-prisoners list.

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