Mohammad Shamil oglu Kekalov – consultant of the Abzas Media, an online Azerbaijani media outlet Date of arrest: 20 November 2023 Charge: Article 206.4 (Smuggling, committed by the organized group) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 7 August, 2024, the accused were brought additional charges under the 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); 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 23 November 2023, the Baku City Khatai District Court issued a ruling: to apply a preventive measure against Mohammad Kekalov in the form of arrest for a period of 3 months and 27 days.
The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended several times 11 Sentence: On 20 June 2025, the Baku City Court for Serious Crimes sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison Judge: Rasim Sadikhov Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center at the Umbaki settlement in Baku City Qaradaq District Conclusion: Mohammad Kekalov, a youth activist, provided a consulting service for the Abzas Media on a number of projects aimed at supporting minorities and the people with disabilities, as well as he was also involved in translation service.
On the morning of 20 November 2023, a group of people in civilian clothes, not showing any documents, entered M.
Kekalov's house and forcibly took him away with them, also his personal computer and cell phone were taken.
His mother tried unsuccessfully to prevent that lawlessness.
Then she turned to and engaged a lawyer, Rovshana Rahimli, signed a contract on behalf of their family and tried to obtain information on Mohammad Kekalov's whereabouts.
However, in the Baku City General Police Department they swore that they had no idea where M.Kekalov was.
Rovshana Rahimli received the same kind of answer from the Azerbaijani Ombudsman.
Only on 22 November, the Baku City General Police Department confirmed that M.Kekalov had been still in their custody, but refused to provide information about his place of detention or the charges against him.
They just informed that M.Kekalov had been arrested in connection with the arrested leaders of the Internet publication Abzas Media and that a state-appointed lawyer, Sanan Asadov, had been appointed to take his case.
Only on the fourth day of Kekalov’s detention, the hired by his family lawyer, Rovshana Rahimli, got a permission to meet with her client in the presence of an investigator; but Mr Kekalov denied to accept her services saying that he had a state-appointed lawyer.
In his turn, the investigator didn’t allow Rovshana Rahimli to talk privately to M.
Kekalov in order to explain to him his rights to have two lawyers and at the same time to find out the reason for such an unexpected refusal from the lawyer hired by the family.
