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Akif Qurbanov A Baku court has postponed the trial of 10 independent journalists and activists associated with the Toplum TV media outlet after the defence protested that they were denied access to the prosecution's closing arguments. The hearing at the Baku Grave Crimes Court on 22 June was rescheduled to 29 June to allow the defendants time to review the state's recommended sentences, which range up to 16 years in prison. The decision followed a sharp exchange between the p

Samid Huseynov The family of Azerbaijani religious activist Samid Huseynov say they have not heard from him since he was summoned to a police station in Baku on 19 June. His wife, Arzu Huseynova, told Azadliq Radio—the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty—that her husband has been missing for several days after being called to a station in Zabrat, a settlement in the capital. "He told me at around 10:00 that he was called to the police station in Zabrat and

Ali Karimli Supporters of detained Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Karimli have accused prison authorities of intentionally subjecting him to psychological torture in an attempt to "break his will". The Defence Committee for the Rights of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP) Chairman announced on social media that Mr Karimli, 61, is being systematically deprived of sleep in his cell. The committee said prison officials had placed Mr Karimli in a cell with an individua

At least 25 Azerbaijani servicemen have died in non-combat circumstances during the first six months of 2026, according to a regional military monitoring group. The figures, compiled by the Caspian Defence Studies Institute (CDSI) and shared with the independent outlet Abzas Media, indicate that none of the registered deaths in the country's security and defence sectors were related to active conflict. The report comes amid ongoing concerns over safety conditions and non-comb

Namizad Safarov A prominent Azerbaijani lawyer and government critic has denounced fraud charges against him as "completely fabricated" during a court hearing in Baku on Thursday. Namizad Safarov, 72, who has been in custody since December, is accused of large-scale fraud for allegedly taking 53,000 Azerbaijani manats (£24,600) to secure a job for a woman. "I do not even know this woman," Safarov told the Baku Grave Crimes Court. "There is no phone call, no correspondence to

More than 517m manat (£236m; $304m) in outstanding debt has accumulated across reconstruction projects in Azerbaijan’s recovered territories, according to a state watchdog report. The Chamber of Accounts, which monitored the execution of the 2025 state budget, said the debt across nine purchasing authorities had jumped by 35% over the course of the year. At the same time, total spending on rebuilding and restoring infrastructure in the regions recovered during the 2020 Karaba

An international rights group has urged Azerbaijan to release jailed journalists who documented landmark environmental protests, marking the third anniversary of the demonstrations. Human Rights Solidarity (HRS) said a police blockade of Soyudlu village in western Azerbaijan remains in place three years after residents protested against toxic waste from a nearby gold mine. The advocacy group highlighted the case of Aytac Tapdig, also known as Aytac Ahmedova, a reporter for th

Akif Qurbanov An imprisoned Azerbaijani activist has appealed directly to President Ilham Aliyev from pre-trial detention, urging the leader to end the prosecutions of independent journalists and civil society workers. Akif Qurbanov, the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) and a leading figure in the Third Republic Platform opposition group, challenged the president to hold him solely responsible for any alleged infractions rather than targeting subordinate

Anar Arkivan An Azerbaijani court has sentenced opposition activist Anar Arkivan to 30 days in jail following a dispute with traffic police in the capital, Baku. Arkivan, a member of the organising committee of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), was convicted of disobeying police orders, his party said. According to AXCP officials, Arkivan was stopped by traffic police on 16 June. Officers accused him of using his phone while driving, a claim he denied. Murad Sultanli

Kamal Isayev An imprisoned critic of the Azerbaijani government has told a Baku court he never supported the creation of an independent Talysh state. Kamal Isayev, a prominent campaigner who has long criticised Baku’s policies towards ethnic minorities, made the remarks during a hearing at the Baku Grave Crimes Court on Thursday. State prosecutors accuse Isayev of using social media platforms to incite ethnic hatred and call for the partitioning of Azerbaijan's territory. The

The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) have awarded their 2026 Free Media Pioneer award to exiled Azerbaijani outlets Meydan TV and AbzasMedia. The joint prize, which also went to the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP), recognises media organisations that bypass censorship to promote independent reporting. Eleven outlets were nominated. Both Azerbaijani winners have been forced to operate from abroad following a sw

Human rights group Amnesty International has launched a global campaign urging Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to provide urgent medical care to jailed journalist Nargiz Absalamova. Absalamova, a reporter for the independent investigative outlet AbzasMedia, is serving an eight-year prison sentence at the Lankaran Penitentiary Complex. Amnesty said she has been denied an MRI scan and essential medical checks for four months to treat worsening sinusitis, which has left her

A jailed Azerbaijani journalist has written an open letter from prison strongly rejecting a prosecutor’s demand for a 13-year sentence, saying that the state has effectively criminalised journalism.

The family of an Azerbaijani conscript who died two months into his national service have accused the authorities of a cover-up, alleging he was killed and that police blocked filming of his funeral.

An Azerbaijani court on Wednesday extended the pre-trial detention of prominent opposition leader Ali Karimli by a further five months, party members said.

Azerbaijan has used newly introduced "in absentia" trials to prosecute and convict exiled government critics over their online posts, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

An Azerbaijani opposition activist has filed a court petition accusing police of failing to account for a laptop and 17,000 manats (£7,800) in cash allegedly taken during his arrest.

An Azerbaijani court has replaced all three judges overseeing the landmark trial of 12 independent journalists and activists linked to the media outlet Meydan TV.

Social media companies in Azerbaijan face heavy fines if they fail to block children under the age of 16 from creating accounts, under a draft law.

The criminal investigation into prominent Azerbaijani defence lawyer Zabil Gahramanov has concluded, with prosecutors sending his case to court on fraud and hooliganism charges.