Trial of Ethnic Rights Critic Kamal Isayev Continues in Azerbaijan

A hearing in the case of Kamal Isayev, a critic of the Azerbaijani government’s policies toward ethnic minorities, was held on June 18 at the Baku Court of Serious Crimes.

During the hearing, chaired by Judge Farid Namazov, the state prosecutor continued reading the indictment, referring to social media posts allegedly made by Isayev over several years.

According to the prosecution, one of Isayev’s posts stated that “one day the Talysh people will come to power in Azerbaijan and put an end to injustice.” The prosecutor also alleged that Isayev had presented himself as the “culture minister” of the so-called “Talysh-Mughan Republic.”

Isayev rejects accusations

Responding to the charges, Kamal Isayev denied supporting the separation of Azerbaijan or the creation of an independent Talysh state.

He said the allegations against him were false and that his statements had been taken out of context.

“I have never supported the creation of any Talysh state. The claim that I declared myself a minister is also untrue. In a WhatsApp group, I was assigned responsibility for cultural issues. Over the past seven or eight years, I have made hundreds of posts and statements on social networks. They selected individual sentences that suited them and built an indictment around them,” Isayev said.

He acknowledged that the social media posts belonged to him but rejected the criminal accusations.

“I accept that these statements are mine, but I absolutely do not consider myself guilty. This is a criminal case completely based on slander,” he said.

Background of the case

The case has drawn attention because it involves issues related to ethnic identity, freedom of expression and the limits of political criticism in Azerbaijan.

Human rights activists and government critics have previously raised concerns about the use of criminal proceedings against individuals who express views considered sensitive by authorities.

The Azerbaijani authorities have repeatedly stated that prosecutions are based on legal grounds and that cases are not connected to political views or ethnic background.