Human Rights Watch: Azerbaijan uses in absentia trials against exiled critics

Berlin, June 10, 2026 — Human Rights Watch says Azerbaijani authorities are increasingly prosecuting and convicting government critics living abroad in absentia, often based on social media activity and online commentary.

In a new report, the organization said courts in Baku have issued long prison sentences against exiled journalists, activists, and political commentators, raising concerns over due process and freedom of expression.

Human Rights Watch reviewed multiple cases between July 2025 and March 2026 in which defendants living in Europe and the United States were sentenced to between 6 and 16 years in prison. The organization said many of the trials relied heavily on state-appointed forensic experts analyzing online content, with limited or no effective defense participation.

“These trials lack credibility and due process and are intended to silence critics abroad,” said Giorgi Gogia, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The report also noted that legal amendments adopted in 2023 enabled in absentia criminal proceedings, allowing authorities to turn online speech into criminal convictions that could later support extradition requests or other legal measures abroad.

Human Rights Watch urged Azerbaijan to review such convictions and called on European governments to carefully assess extradition requests linked to politically sensitive cases.