Azerbaijani Social Worker Zamin Zaki’s Prison Sentence Reduced by Three Months in “NGO Case”

On July 1, the Baku Court of Appeal reviewed the appeal filed by social worker Zamin Zaki, who was convicted as part of the so-called “NGO case.”

According to APA, the hearing was chaired by Judge Emin Aliyev. The court decided to reduce Zaki’s prison sentence by three months.

In March 2026, the Baku Grave Crimes Court sentenced Zaki to seven years and six months in prison. He was charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, including Article 313 on official forgery, Article 193-1.3.2 on the legalization of criminally obtained funds or other property in a significant amount, and Article 308.1 on abuse of official powers.

Zaki denies the charges and says he is being punished for his public and civic activities.

Arrests in the “NGO case” began in March 2025. Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Civil Rights Institute; Mammad Alpay, executive director of the Election Monitoring Alliance; and Hafiz Hasanov, head of the Law and Development Public Association, were detained. Hasanov was later placed under house arrest.

They were charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, including official forgery and legalization of allegedly illegal funds.

In April 2025, civic activist Asaf Ahmadov, social worker Zamin Zaki, and Ahmad Mammadzade were also arrested on similar charges.

Economist Galib Bayramov and human rights defender Nargiz Mukhtarova were placed under police supervision. Subhan Hasanli and Aytaj Aghazade, who are outside Azerbaijan, were put on a wanted list.

More than 100 people have reportedly been questioned as part of the investigation, including employees of international donor organizations and several heads of pro-government NGOs.