Anar Abdulla (Abdullayev) – journalist and public activist Date of arrest: 4 August 2025 Charge: Articles 192.3.2 (Illegal business, committed with gaining an extra large-scale income); 193-1.3.1 (Legalization of money or other property obtained by crime, committed by an organized group or a criminal organization (criminal association); 193-1.3.2 (Legalization of money or other property obtained by crime, committed in large amount); 206.4 (Smuggling, committed by the organized group); 213.2.1 (Evasion from payment of taxes, committed by the organized group); 320.1 (Fake of certificate or other official document giving the rights or releasing from duties, with a view of its use or selling of such document, as well as manufacturing in same purposes or selling of counterfeit state awards of the Azerbaijan Republic, stamps, seals, forms) and 320.2 (Use of obviously counterfeit documents) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 4 August 2025, the Baku City Court for Serious Crimes imposed a preventive measure in the form of deprivation of liberty against Anar Abdulla for the period of 2 months during the preliminary investigation.
The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended times Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center № 1 at the Kyurdakhani settlement in Baku City Sabunchu District Conclusion: Anar Abdulla joined the civil society movement called Nida in 2012; among other things, Nida organised protests against non-combat casualties in the army.
In May 2016, Anar Abdulla was 34 brought to the administrative responsibility for his participation in the protest and was sentenced to a 10-day arrest.
In 2018, Anar Abdulla switched to the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDSC).
At the same time, he started co-operating with the gozetci.az news website and other publications.
On 8 April 2025, Anar Abdulla was summoned to the Baku City Main Police Department, where he was charged in connection with the case of Anar Mammadli, a human rights defender and the EMDSC head.
After that, a preventive measure was imposed on the journalist by placing him under the police supervision.
On 11 July 2025, in Baku, Anar Abdulla was detained and arrested for 30 days on an administrative charge related to disobeying the police and petty hooliganism.
His colleagues indicated that Anar Abdulla was arrested with the purpose of coercing him to self-incriminate in the criminal case.
On 4 August 2025, there was another trial in the criminal case of the Head of Human Rights Defender Anar Mammadli and Anar Abdulla.
The State prosecutor filed a motion asking to change Anar Abdulla's preventive measure of detention and arrest him in the courtroom.
The motion was granted and Anar Abdulla was immediately arrested.
