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An activist from Azerbaijan's main opposition party has been sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention after being arrested by police in Baku. Kanan Ismayil, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP) in the capital's Khatai district, was taken to Nizami District Court following his arrest, the party said. The court sentenced Mr Ismayil on charges of disobeying lawful police orders and resisting arrest, according to AXCP. Mr Ismayil's response to the alle

Russian security services have charged a 26-year-old man from Ingushetia with high treason for allegedly operating equipment on behalf of Ukrainian military intelligence. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday that the unnamed resident of the regional capital, Magas, established contact with Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) through social media. According to officials, he was instructed to operate "SIM boxes" — devices containing multiple SIM cards u

A prosecutor in Azerbaijan has requested a 10-year prison sentence for opposition activist Kanan Zeynalov on stabbing charges his defence team claims are politically motivated. State prosecutor Babakhan Hasanaliyev made the demand on 23 July during a hearing at the Baku Serious Crimes Court. Zeynalov, who served as a volunteer bodyguard for Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP) leader Ali Karimli, is accused of attacking a man named Anar Rahimov with a knife. The activist

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for the immediate release of jailed Azerbaijani journalist Aytaj Ahmadova, warning that her health is deteriorating rapidly without access to medical care. The rights group said Ms Ahmadova, who has been held in detention since December 2024, is being systematically deprived of urgently needed medical treatment in prison. "Aytaj Ahmadova's health condition is deteriorating rapidly," RSF said in a statement. "Ahmadova,

Fish farmers in Armenia have staged a protest outside the government headquarters in Yerevan to demand urgent financial support following severe export restrictions. Demonstrators from the Armavir and Ararat regions gathered on Tuesday to demand a direct meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. Protesters said credit obligations and an inability to access European markets have left several aquaculture businesses facing imminent closure. "We have managed to keep prod

A jailed Azerbaijani religious activist has been placed in solitary confinement after protesting against the alleged beating of a sick inmate, according to his family and rights advocates. Mansur Velishov, who is serving a six-year sentence at the Lankaran Penitentiary Complex, was disciplined after failing to make a scheduled phone call to his family on 20 July. His family said hotline officials at the Penitentiary Service confirmed Velishov had been moved to a punishment ce

Pro-European demonstrators have gathered outside Georgia's parliament in Tbilisi for a 601st consecutive day to demand the release of political prisoners and fresh elections. Activist group Publika reported that more than 100 people lined Rustaveli Avenue on Tuesday evening, holding Georgian, EU, Ukrainian and US flags alongside placards calling for judicial transparency and press freedom. The daily demonstrations began on 28 November 2024, driven by opposition to controversi

An Azerbaijani opposition figure facing trial alongside independent journalists has told a Baku court that government efforts to suppress democratic values in the country will fail. Akif Gurbanov, head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives and speaker of the III Republic Platform, was speaking during his final address at the Baku Serious Crimes Court on 20 July. Gurbanov is one of 10 defendants in the high-profile "Toplum TV case", a prosecution targeting independent jo

Jailed investigative reporter Hafiz Babali has condemned the total suppression of independent media in Azerbaijan in an open letter written from behind bars to mark the country's National Press Day. Babali, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence following a police crackdown on the independent news outlet AbzasMedia, said no news organisation independent of the government now remains in the country. The letter, titled "Swear by the Pen" and published by AbzasMedia, reflect

A jailed Azerbaijani journalist has been on a dry hunger strike for 18 days after being placed in a punishment cell for writing a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, his family says. Yashar Aghazadeh, a former staff member at the Mukhalifat (Opposition) newspaper, was moved to solitary confinement at Penal Facility No. 6 on 2 July. His wife, Aygun Ismayilli, said prison officials informed her that the punishment was triggered directly by his letter t

German police have cordoned off an Azerbaijani political protest outside the Chancellery in Berlin during an official visit by President Ilham Aliyev. Demonstrators demanding the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan said officers cleared the area, pushed back journalists, and removed protest tents set up nearby. The protest, organised by activist Orkhan Agayev, has been running since 15 June to demand the release of 15 women currently detained in Azerbaijan, including

Two teenage sons of jailed Azerbaijani Islamist leader Taleh Baghirzade are facing criminal charges over a schoolyard fight, in a case their family says is politically motivated. The brothers, aged 15 and 17, were charged following a brawl on 7 April at School No. 26 in the Buzovna settlement near Baku. Investigators informed the family on 17 July that the probe had concluded and the case was being sent to court. The elder brother faces charges of group hooliganism and intent

An opposition leader on trial in Azerbaijan over his links to independent outlet Toplum TV has accused authorities of attempting to destroy media freedom and the rule of law. Speaking in his final address to the Baku Serious Crimes Court on Monday, Akif Gurbanov said the prosecution against him and nine co-defendants was designed to silence critical voices. "They want the media not to be independent, and the court not to be independent," Mr Gurbanov told the court, presided o

The number of people convicted on terrorism-related charges in Russia doubled last year to a record high of 2,078, according to a joint report by human rights groups. Research by the First Department rights project and Parubets Analytics found that convictions under Russia's terrorism laws in 2025 were the highest recorded since the country's current criminal code was introduced in 1996. In 2024, Russian courts convicted 1,021 people under the same statutes. Official figures

Azerbaijan has safely brought back 16 of its citizens from Syria, the country's foreign ministry has announced. The group was returned on 18 and 19 July following an operation by a government taskforce dispatched to assist nationals stranded in conflict zones. Officials said the repatriated individuals received initial medical and psychological evaluations in Syria before being issued with emergency travel documents and flight tickets. In a statement, the ministry of foreign

Iran has executed two men connected to nationwide anti-government protests that swept the country earlier this year, state media reports. Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi were put to death on 19 July in the central city of Isfahan, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency. The two men were accused of filming a murder scene and transmitting the footage to overseas television channels. Mohammadi was reported to be an Afghan national. Details regarding thei

Altay Goyushov A prominent Azerbaijani historian living in exile has warned that the government's attempts to silence dissent through criminal charges and repression will ultimately fail. Prof Altay Goyushov, who faces in-absentia arrest in Azerbaijan on charges of making anti-state appeals, told independent news outlet Meydan TV that the authorities were attempting to suppress all domestic criticism. Goyushov, a well-known academic and commentator now living in the United St

Ali Karimli The defence committee of jailed Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Karimli says his detention conditions have been severely restricted following an interview with a French broadcaster. Mr Karimli, who has been held in a State Security Service (DTX) pre-trial facility for nearly eight months, is reportedly facing increased physical and psychological pressure. His committee said the latest restrictions, which include a ban on receiving food parcels from his family an

The family of an Armenian volunteer fighter jailed in Azerbaijan say his health has severely deteriorated due to a lack of medical care. Ludvig Mkrtchyan, who was captured during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, is reportedly suffering from serious heart damage, chest pains, and dangerously high blood pressure. His lawyer, Luciana Minassian, wrote on social media platform X that Mkrtchyan was "fighting for his life in Azerbaijani prison". Minassian accused authorities of "delib

The teenage sons of jailed Azerbaijani religious activist Taleh Bagirzade are to stand trial following an altercation at a Baku school, a human rights defender has said. Arzu Abdulla said investigators had informed the family on 17 July that the pre-trial investigation into Mahammadhasan and Mahammadhuseyn Bagirzade was complete and the case had been referred to court. The older brother, Mahammadhasan, is charged with hooliganism and deliberately causing minor bodily harm, wh