This week, Azerbaijani academic Bahruz Samadov was sentenced to 15 years in prison on treason charges, youth activist Agshin Abdullayev received 30 days of administrative detention, AbzasMedia journalists protested their transfer to a stricter prison facility, and the trial of political analyst Azer Gasimli began.
Bahruz Samadov sentenced to 15 years for treason
Bahruz Samadov, a PhD student at Charles University in the Czech Republic, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Baku Grave Crimes Court. He was convicted under Article 274 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code (treason), a charge he and his supporters deny.
Samadov was arrested on August 21, 2024, by the State Security Service. He is known for his academic work on the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and for his criticism of the Azerbaijani government. According to Samadov, the charges are fabricated and politically motivated. He maintains there is no evidence linking him to Armenian intelligence and says he is being punished for his peaceful academic and anti-war views.
On June 19, Samadov began a hunger strike in protest of his imprisonment. Following the state prosecutor’s demand for a 16-year sentence on June 20, he reportedly attempted suicide on June 21, but was saved by a fellow inmate, according to his grandmother.
He ended his hunger strike shortly afterward due to worsening health, including severe eczema and facial bleeding. Feminist activist Gulnara Mehdiyeva reported that pressure from his family, particularly his elderly grandmother, also played a role in his decision.
AXCP youth activist Agshin Abdullayev sentenced to 30 days
Agshin Abdullayev, a youth activist and member of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), was sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention by the Binagadi District Court.
According to the AXCP, Abdullayev was targeted for his critical political views. On June 24, he was summoned to the 40th Police Station of the Binagadi District Police Department and lost contact with family and colleagues soon after. Authorities have not released any official statement regarding his detention.
The AXCP reports that at least 20 of its members are currently behind bars. Independent human rights organizations estimate that Azerbaijan holds around 375 political prisoners.
AbzasMedia journalists protest transfer to Umbaki prison
On June 26, journalists detained in the ongoing “AbzasMedia case” were transferred from the Baku Pretrial Detention Center to Umbaki prison, prompting objections from both detainees and their lawyers.
Among those transferred are Ulvi Hasanli, Mammad Kekalov, Hafiz Babali, and Farid Mehralizade. Hasanli has announced that he will begin a hunger strike if kept at Umbaki, citing harsher conditions, including a ban on face-to-face visits.
Lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova stated that the transfer violated a prior court decision that the journalists would remain at the Baku facility until their verdicts became final. Bahruz Samedov has also reportedly been moved to the same prison.
The Penitentiary Service has not commented on the transfer.
On June 20, the Baku court sentenced several journalists in the AbzasMedia case: Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifgizi), Hafiz Babali, and Farid Mehralizade each received nine years in prison; Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova were sentenced to eight years; and Mammad Kekalov was given seven and a half years. The arrests, which began in November 2023, targeted AbzasMedia staff known for their investigations into government corruption. All of the journalists reject the charges, insisting they are being punished for their professional activities. Both local and international human rights organizations have condemned the case as politically motivated and have called for the journalists’ immediate release.
Trial begins for political analyst Azer Gasimli
On June 25, the Baku Grave Crimes Court held the first hearing in the case of Azer Gasimli, a political scientist and head of the Institute for Political Management. Gasimli is charged under Article 182.2.3 of the Criminal Code (extortion involving threats or force), accused of threatening a man named Gurbanali Yusifov and demanding money.
Gasimli denies all charges and claims the case is a civil debt dispute being manipulated as a criminal case for political reasons. His lawyers argue that there is no evidence of threats and point out that Yusifov had already admitted in prior civil proceedings in Mingechevir and Sheki that he owed money to Gasimli.
The defense has requested access to audio and video recordings from those hearings and asked the court to either dismiss the case or allow Gasimli to await trial under house arrest—requests that were denied. Gasimli has been in detention since December 8, 2024, and says his imprisonment is politically motivated.
The court is scheduled to hold its next hearing on July 2, where further decisions are expected.
