Women’s Rights Defender Nargiz Mukhtarova Given 7.5-Year Suspended Sentence in Azerbaijan

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced women’s rights defender Nargiz Mukhtarova to seven years and six months in prison, suspended with a three-year probation period, in connection with the country’s ongoing criminal case targeting non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The verdict was announced on July 8 by the Baku Court for Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Leyla Asgarova-Mammadova.

The court found Mukhtarova guilty under Article 193-1.3.2 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code (legalization of property allegedly obtained through criminal means on a large scale) and Article 308.1 (abuse of official powers).

During the investigation, prosecutors had also charged her under Article 313 (official forgery). However, the court dismissed that charge before delivering its final judgment.

In her final statement before the verdict, Mukhtarova rejected all accusations against her.

“I have not committed any crime. Anyone with or without a legal education knows that this case contains no elements of a criminal offense,” she told the court.

Following a brief deliberation, the panel of judges returned to announce the sentence.

The prosecution had previously requested an eight-year suspended prison sentence with a four-year probation period.

Mukhtarova is the wife of Farid Mehralizade, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani Service (AzadliqRadiosu), who is currently imprisoned in the high-profile Abzas Media case. The couple has a two-year-old daughter, who was born several months after Mehralizade’s arrest.

Throughout the investigation, Mukhtarova remained at liberty under a police supervision order.

Her husband was among seven journalists convicted in the Abzas Media case on charges including smuggling and other financial crimes. The journalists received prison sentences ranging from seven years and six months to nine years, while Mehralizade was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Mehralizade and the other defendants have consistently rejected the charges, describing them as politically motivated and fabricated. Human rights organizations, international media freedom groups, and Western governments have repeatedly called for the release of imprisoned journalists and civil society representatives in Azerbaijan, arguing that the prosecutions are part of a broader crackdown on independent media and dissent.