An investigation related to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is currently underway at the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, with nearly 50 individuals reportedly involved in the case.
Mehriban Rahimli, who served as the advisor to the U.S. German Marshall Fund (GMF) for Azerbaijan, has been involved in the investigation within the framework of the “NGO Case” and placed under police supervision.
Hafiz Hasanov, the head of the “Law and Development” Public Union, has been identified as a suspect in the criminal investigation. He is accused of misrepresenting funds he received from donor organizations through his company “LD Consulting” LLC, improperly registering the funds as service contracts instead of grant agreements. On March 17, the Binagadi District Court placed him under house arrest, following his initial detention on March 14 alongside three other NGO leaders. Although Hasanov was briefly released that evening, he was later re-involved in the investigation as a suspect.
The investigation has also led to the arrest of Mamad Alpay, executive director of the Election Monitoring Alliance, and Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Institute for Civil Rights. On March 14, both individuals were detained, and the Binagadi District Court imposed a detention period of 3 months and 28 days on each of them. On March 19, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld this decision following an appeal.
Subhan Hasanli, the head of the Social Rights Center, is reported to have been absent from the country, and a decision for his remote detention and search was issued.
The civil society activists under investigation are facing charges under Articles 193-1.3.2 (legalizing criminally obtained property), 308.2 (abuse of office leading to significant consequences), and 313 (official forgery) of the Criminal Code. These charges carry a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
On March 14, along with other organization leaders, media law expert and lawyer Khalid Aghaliyev was also detained, but he was released in the evening of the same day.
In addition to the individuals already mentioned, media law expert and lawyer Khalid Aghaliyev was also detained on March 14, but was released the same evening. According to Radio Azadliq, nearly 50 people have been questioned in connection with the case, including employees of donor organizations operating in Azerbaijan. Several government-aligned NGO leaders are also reported to have been involved in the investigation.
Sahib Mammadov, the chairman of the League for the Protection of Workers’ Labor Rights, confirmed to “gununsesi.info” that he had been questioned by the Prosecutor’s Office but did not reveal the specific details of his involvement. “We have been called to the Prosecutor’s Office, but I cannot answer what status we are in or why. The investigation is confidential,” Mammadov stated.
Gunel Safarova, the Deputy Head of the Child Protection Department at the Ministry of Science and Education, has also been questioned in connection with the investigation. Safarova, who served as the chairwoman of the Public Council under the Ministry between 2021 and 2023, has led projects with international organizations such as the Eurasia Cooperation Fund and the “SOS Children’s Villages – Azerbaijan” Association. She was questioned for nearly five hours by the Prosecutor General’s Office last week.
Safarova has been involved in several high-profile projects, including the “Social Assessment of Refugees” project under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and has represented Azerbaijan in the OSCE observation mission. She was also the chair of the “Citizen” Research and Development Public Union and a member of the Observation Board of the State Support Agency for NGOs.
This investigation is reminiscent of a similar case in 2014, when the Prosecutor General’s Office launched a criminal case against several NGOs, leading to the arrest of key civil society leaders, including Intigam Aliyev, Anar Mammadli, Bashir Suleymanli, Leyla Yunus, Arif Yunus, and Rasul Jafarov. The European Court of Human Rights later found violations of Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights, recognizing that these individuals’ rights and freedoms had been restricted for non-conventional purposes.
The arrests in 2014 were followed by significant amendments to the country’s NGO legislation, which international organizations, including the Venice Commission, criticized for restricting the activities of NGOs. The current investigation continues to draw attention to the government’s ongoing approach to regulating and controlling the NGO sector in Azerbaijan.
