Emin Ibrahimov – public activist Date of arrest: 22 July 2024 Charge: Articles 126.2.4 (Deliberate causing of serious harm to health, is harm dangerous to human life, committed publicly dangers a way, from hooligan prompting) and 221 (Hooliganism) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 24 July 2024, the Baku City Nizami District Court issued an order to arrest Emin Ibrahimov for a period of 4 months while the investigation is underway.
On 19 November 2024, the Baku City Nizami District Court satisfied the investigation's submission and extended the pre-trial detention of the human rights defender Emin Ibrahimov for another 2 months.
On 26 November 2024, the Baku City Court of Appeal held a session to consider the appeal against the extension of the Emin Ibrahimov’s arrest.
His lawyer, Aghil Lahij, pointed out that the video surveillance footage at the incident scene revealed that Emin Ibrahimov had not stabbed anyone or committed an offence.
Ibragimov said that his arrest was intended to punish him for criticising "Russian imperialism with the aim of restoring colonial rule over Azerbaijan’.
He added, ‘Azerbaijani authoritarianism and Russian Imperialism are in concert.
They want to destroy all ‘embryos’ of democracy in the region and cement the dictatorship here.
Today the Azerbaijani authoritarianism is the main support of Russian Imperialism in the Caucasus.
The principal pillar of support for the corrupt regime in Azerbaijan is Russia." However, the Court dismissed the complaint and upheld the Baku Nizami District Court judgement.
Sentence: On 11 April 2025, the Baku City Court for Serious Crimes issued a verdict: to find Emin Ibrahimov guilty on all charges and sentenced him to 7 years of imprisonment with serving the sentence in a general regime penal institution.
Judge: Vuqar Quliyev 97 Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center № 3 at the Shuvelyan settlement in Baku City Khazar District Conclusion: Emin Ibrahimov, a 43-year-old professional diplomat, has been in the Diplomatic Service from 2007 to 2020: from 2012 to 2016 he was the Second Secretary at the Azerbaijani Embassy in the United States, and from 2016 to 2020, he was the Charge d'Affaires of Azerbaijan in Uruguay.
On 13 March 2020, E.
Ibrahimov resigned from the diplomatic service in protest against the 2020 parliamentary election falsification.
Since then, he has been engaged in analytical work, providing comments to the media and social networks.
Lately, E.
Ibrahimov sharply criticised the authorities for deteriorating relations with the Western world and rapprochement with Russia and other authoritarian states.
In September 2023, E.
Ibrahimov was arrested under administrative procedure for 30 days for his publication of an article titled: “Politics that plays into Russia's hands".
He spoke out against the Azerbaijani authorities’ propaganda of war with Armenia and pointed out in his article that "war is a policy that plays in favour of Russia”.
Now, the authorities have used a more severe form of repression against the dissident ex- diplomat.
According to his lawyer, Aqil Layij, on the evening of 22 July 2024, Ibrahimov was suddenly attacked by an unknown individual near the “Khalglar Dostlugu” metro station, and right away, some people in civilian clothes emerged on the scene.
They detained Ibrahimov and took him to the 24th station of Nizami district police department.
There, they used a stun gun against Ibrahimov to make him reveal his phone passcode.
According to the official report of the MIA press service, E.
Ibrahimov ‘caused bodily injuries with a knife to a man.
Ibrahimov was detained and a victim was taken to hospital’.
GROUP № 6 THE CASE ON THE VILLAGE OF SOYUDLU – 2 persons Clarification of the Soyudlu village case The village of Soyudlu is located on the Azerbaijani- Armenian border in a mountainous area, in the Gadabay region, 450 kilometres west of Baku City.
At one time, there were discovered the rich reserves of gold and silver in the vicinity of the village.
In 2009, the London- incorporated Anglo Asian Mining company started extraction of gold at the Gadabay deposit, and later, in 2010 it launched silver extraction as well.
On 20-21 June 2023, there were protests of Soyudlu villagers.
It was provoked by the company's intention to start construction of a second artificial reservoir to drain acidic water from the nearby ‘Gadabay’ gold mine on the village pasture lands.
According to the villagers, the ecology has been seriously affected by the long-term operation of the gold mine.
The air is polluted with cyanide gas harming the health of the population.
The villagers told the reporters that back in 2012 the company built a pond for waste run-off after chemical purification of the mine, which disposes of acidic water.
As early as 2012, the residents of Soyudlu village complained to the local authorities about the fact that there was no fruit left in their orchards and their bee facilities had been destroyed.
People were also 98 concerned that the water in the lake would be mixed with the drinking water.
However, the authorities ignored the villagers' claims at the time.
In the summer of 2023, when the reservoir was entirely filled, the company decided to build a new one, not far from the pasture land.
Thus, the patience of the villagers was overwhelmed and they organised a protest action.
The police brutally suppressed the rally, using batons and tear gas. ‘We protested and the police used against us the tear gas’, the protesters said.
"They started to forcibly disperse us, shot with the tear gas, some of us were falling».
As a result of the crackdown 9 villagers were injured, they were poisoned with a tear gas, some of them were also wounded.
They were treated on the spot, and 10 villagers were detained on various charges.
Several activists and some journalists who had travelled to the village to familiarise themselves with the situation were arrested.
It was widely reported and resonated in Azerbaijan and elsewhere, forcing the authorities and the company to react.
The construction work was suspended and the protesters called off the action.
On 21 July 2023, the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov signed an order to establish a commission to study the situation in Soyudlu village in Gadabay region.
The Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, was appointed as the Chairman of Commission.
Later, the Chairman stated that all environmental indicators related to the project of the reservoir were within the norms.
However, in spite of multiple requests, the Ministry declined to let the local independent environmental and ecological experts to monitor the site.
On 11 July 2023, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke at an enlarged session of the government saying, "Some citizens, succumbing to the provocateurs’ incitement, committed immoral, illegal deeds, which is intolerable and unacceptable….
Some of these instigators are hiding in Azerbaijan, others are abroad.
Those in Azerbaijan have already been identified, some of them have been brought to justice.
We will bring to justice also those abroad".
The President further pointed out that ‘The police is the only structure that has shown honourable behaviour in this conflict.
Now someone dares to tarnish the police.
I will not allow it.’ From 22 June 2023, to the present time, the access to and from the village of Soyudlu has been closed to outsiders by the police.
There is a police post at the entrance to the village, allowing only the local residents to enter.
