New List of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan – 331 People
On December 12, the Union for "Freedom for Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan" published an updated list of political prisoners, which now includes the names of 331 individuals.
From the previous list, the following individuals have been removed: the disabled Famil Khalilov, who was transferred to house arrest, as well as three individuals involved in the "Terter Case" and one from the "Ganja Case." The updated list adds 17 new names, including five journalists from Meydan TV and their detained colleague, reporter Ramin Deko, media expert Ulvi Tairov, human rights defender Rufat Safarov, and political scientist Azer Gasimli.
The list also includes Joshgun Musaev, a resident of the village of Soyudlu, who was sentenced on drug charges. However, the real reason for his arrest was his role in creating posters for the protesting villagers. Other new additions are members of the "Muslim Unity" group and religious individuals.
The 331 political prisoners are classified into 11 groups: Journalists and Bloggers – 25 people; Human Rights Defenders – 4 people; Members of Opposition Parties and Civil Society – 30 people ; Activists for National Minorities – 3 people; Anti-War Activists – 2 people; Convicts from the Soyudlu Case – 2 people; Deported Political Immigrants from Germany – 5 people; Religious Individuals – 233 people; Convicts from the Terter Case – 4 people; Convicts from the Ganja Case – 12 people; Life Imprisoned – 11 people.
The list was compiled by former prisoners of conscience: Leila Yunus, director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (a former "prisoner of conscience"), and Elshan Hasanov, head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Center.
Politics
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On the 35th birthday of Igbal Abilov, a researcher imprisoned in Azerbaijan, his colleagues and supporters organized celebratory actions in various European cities, including Vilnius, Belgrade, Warsaw, and Porto, to raise awareness about his case. The participants of these actions called for the release of Abilov, who has been recognized by human rights defenders as a political prisoner.
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As a result of the preliminary investigation, the charge against Aziz Orujov, director of the internet TV channel Kanal 13, under Article 206.3.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of individuals in conspiracy) has been dropped. The case has been sent to court only under Article 188.2 of the Criminal Code (unauthorized construction on land without ownership rights). This was reported to Turan by Orujov's wife, journalist Lamia Orujeva.
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Today, the Baku Serious Crimes Court delivered a verdict in the case of public activist Ilhamiz Guliyev. The court reclassified the charges from Article 234.4.3 (illegal drug trafficking with intent to sell in large quantities) to a lighter charge under Article 234.1-1 (illegal acquisition, possession, manufacturing, processing, or transportation of narcotic substances or psychotropic substances in large quantities without the intent to distribute) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code and sentenced the activist to three years in prison.
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On Thursday, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, reiterated Baku’s demand for the termination of the European Union’s observer mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The mission was initially agreed with Baku as a temporary measure, but its activities have since become permanent. Moreover, the composition of the mission and its mandate have been "expanded," Hajiyev said in an interview with journalists.
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