Bashir Suleymanli
September 2025 continued with the deepening collapse of judicial independence and rule of law in Azerbaijan, as the courts continued to function as instruments of political repression rather than arbiters of justice.
The month was marked by the escalation of charges in the so-called “NGO case,” the upholding of harsh treason and political sentences, and a series of procedural violations that revealed the judiciary’s alignment with executive power.
Politically sensitive trials—from the Abzas Media and Toplum TV cases to the prosecution of leading activists like Bashir Suleymanli and Anar Mammadli where lawyers reported the systemic irregularities, including denial of fair trial guarantees, punitive prison transfers, the silencing of defense lawyers, and physical violence against journalists.
The authorities intensified their pressure through collective punishments, such as travel bans on family members, while political prisoners resorted to hunger strikes to secure minimal rights like medical care.
Detailed Overview
Thus, the month began with news from September 3rd with charges against activists in the ‘NGO case’, including Bashir Suleymanli, being further escalated with new, serious counts of money laundering and official forgery, while at least 14 individuals in the case remain as accused.
That same day, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the 15-year treason sentence for peace activist Bahruz Samadov and upheld the punitive transfer of trade union activist Elvin Mustafayev to a high-security prison, a move widely viewed as retaliation for his torture allegations. Also on the 3rd, the Sabunchu District Court dismissed a complaint by Abzas Media Editor in Chief Sevinj Vagifgizi on seriously abusive detention conditions in Baku Pre-trial Detention Center, repeating the dangerous precedent of impunity.
The pattern of domestic courts playing the role of rubber-stamp in confirming requests by executive authorities and holding formal trials in politically sensitive cases continued when, on September 8th, Baku Court on Grave Crimes dismissed serious procedural irregularities in the case of human rights defender Rufat Safarov. The following day, September 9th, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the lengthy prison sentences for all seven journalists in the Abzas Media case whereas the final appeal hearing was marred by violence when female journalists were subjected to physical force by Penitentiary Service staff for displaying protest slogans. On September 9th, it was also reported that activist Ahmad Mammadli’s health had sharply deteriorated due to severe eye damage allegedly caused by police torture during his May 2025 arrest, with his committee demanding house arrest.
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