The long road home

The State Service for Mobilization and Conscription of Azerbaijan reports that in the first quarter of 2026, disciplinary measures and organizational actions were taken against 27 employees (including 17 senior officials) for illegal activities and abuse of office. One employee was dismissed on negative grounds, while materials on 16 cases involving 34 individuals were submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office. Despite the fact that many employees of this body have faced criminal liability in recent years, violations appear to persist.

On paper, Azerbaijan is still growing. Its population reached just over 10.25 million in 2025, edging upward by a modest 0.3 percent. But beneath that steady headline figure, a more consequential transformation is unfolding — one that is reshaping families, labor markets and the country’s long-term economic trajectory.

This year in Azerbaijan, spring officially began on March 20 at 13:45 Baku time (UTC+4), when the spring equinox occurred, marking the arrival of the Novruz holiday.

On March 12, a joint meeting of the Milli Majlis Committee on Legal Policy and State Building and the Committee on Human Rights discussed the addition of a new article — 523-1 “Engaging in Begging” — to the Code of Administrative Offenses. If adopted, begging would be removed from the category of vagrancy and classified as a separate administrative offense, with specific administrative sanctions applied.