Anar Mammadli & Akif Gurbanov
Disabling Election Monitoring Institute
On September 1, snap parliamentary elections was held in Azerbaijan. This election bears many
similarities to previous ones. Like its predecessors, it is taking place in a non-democratic
environment and against a backdrop of human rights violations. However, there is a distinctive
feature that sets this election apart from previous ones in a negative sense: for the first time in
20 years, local election monitoring institutions in Azerbaijan have been completely excluded
from the election process.
In Azerbaijan, there are two main organizations recognized by independent and international
bodies that engage in local election monitoring. One of them is the Election Monitoring and
Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), led by political prisoner Anar Mammadli, who is currently
in prison. The other is the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI), headed by political prisoner
Akif Gurbanov, who is also currently incarcerated.
The head of EMDS, Anar Mammadli, was detained on April 29. He has been charged under
Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons in
collusion). The court ruled to impose a preventive detention measure on Anar Mammadli for a
period of 3 months and 28 days. On August 23, his detention was extended by another 3
months. Anar Mammadli denies the charges against him and considers his arrest to be
politically motivated.
Several international organizations, as well as the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy
in Baku, have called on the Azerbaijani government to immediately release Anar Mammadli
and other detained individuals.
Follow the link to read the statement in more detail.
