Azerbaijani Authorities Escalate Abuse of Detained Opposition Leader

Click to expand Image Ali Karimli speaks at a rally in 2016. © 2016 Aziz Karimov/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Azerbaijani authorities have imposed increasingly punitive detention conditions on Ali Karimli, chairman of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), raising serious concerns about inhuman or degrading treatment.Karimli, 61, has been held in the State Security Service detention facility since November 29, 2025. Authorities charged him under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code with “actions aimed at the violent seizure of power and forcible change of the constitutional order,” an offense carrying a potential life sentence. His arrest followed years during which Azerbaijani authorities refused to issue him a passport, effectively preventing him from traveling abroad.Karimli denies the charges and deems them politically motivated.A court has twice extended his pretrial detention, most recently on June 10 for five months, meaning he may remain detained until at least November pending trial.His detention conditions reportedly deteriorated after France 24 published an interview with him in June in which he described his treatment and criticized European governments for prioritizing energy cooperation with Azerbaijan over human rights. Authorities cut off his telephone access, later allowing him only 4 minutes of his allotted 15-minute calls. His lawyers said courts refused to register applications seeking restoration of his communication rights.Soon afterward, authorities placed another detainee in Karimli’s cell who, according to his lawyers, speaks and recites religious phrases throughout the night. Karimli has reportedly been unable to sleep normally and continues to experience significant psychological strain. Authorities have rejected requests to move the cellmate.Further restrictions followed in July. Authorities reportedly prohibited family food parcels, switched off his television, confiscated newspapers, and barred his lawyers from providing written materials. His defense team said on July 13 that they believe his treatment violates the prohibition on inhuman or degrading treatment and conditions in article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.Karimli’s arrest comes amid a broader crackdown on the APFP. Since November 2025, more than 20 party members have reportedly been detained, held in pretrial detention, or subjected to travel bans. Authorities have also repeatedly denied the party permission to hold rallies in central Baku.The Azerbaijani authorities should end the punitive restrictions, release Karimli from pretrial detention, and drop the unfounded charges. Azerbaijan’s international partners should raise his case publicly and during bilateral meetings. Your tax deductible gift can help stop human rights violations and save lives around the world. Region / Country Azerbaijan Europe/Central Asia More Reading July 29, 2026 Dispatches Azerbaijan Jails Prominent TV Journalists, Media Workers June 16, 2026 Dispatches Rights Defender Sentenced to 8 Years in Azerbaijan Reports June 17, 2026 Report Paying the Price of Police Harassment Discriminatory Fines Target Black and Arab Youth in France May 12, 2026 Report Looking the Other Way EU Failure to Prevent Surveillance Exports to Rights Violators More Reading July 29, 2026 Dispatches Azerbaijan Jails Prominent TV Journalists, Media Workers June 16, 2026 Dispatches Rights Defender Sentenced to 8 Years in Azerbaijan Most Viewed November 12, 2018 News Release Pakistan: Girls Deprived of Education August 6, 2026 Report Lebanon: Israel’s Killing of Journalist an Apparent War Crime November 25, 2019 Report A Dirty Investment July 25, 2017 Report “I Want to Be Like Nature Made Me” December 14, 2017 Report “They Were Men in Uniform” Share this via Facebook Share this via Bluesky Share this via X Share this via WhatsApp Share this via Email More sharing options Share this via LinkedIn Share this via Reddit Share this via Telegram Share this via Printer