Novruz Taqiyev – member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Date of arrest: 20 May 2025 Charge: Article 178.2.4 (Swindle, that is maintaining another persons property or buying another persons property by a deceit or breach of confidence, committed with causing damage in the significant size) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 21 May 2025, the Baku City Yasamal District Court imposed a preventive measure in the form of deprivation of liberty against Novruz Taqiyev for the period of 4 months during the preliminary investigation.
The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended times Sentence: On 3 April 2026, the Baku City Court for Serious Crimes sentenced to 6 years in prison Judge: Vuqar Quliyev Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center № 1 at the Kyurdakhani settlement in Baku City Sabunchu District Conclusion: On 20 May 2025, Novruz Taqiyev, an activist of the PFPA, stopped answering his family and friends' calls.
The following day it became known that N.
Taqiyev had been arrested.
A bit later, his lawyer, Nemat Karimli, provided the authorities' official version of his arrest: someone named Nijat had complained about N.
Taqiyev.
Taqiyev was as a realtor and helped Nijat to find a new house.
He received 1,000 manats (about $590) for his service a part of that amount Taqiyev handed over to the homeowner.
However, Nijat returned to Tagiyev's office and brought some cash.
Taqiyev did not accept the money, then Nijat left a box of perfume on his desk.
After that, Nijat immediately filed a complaint at the police saying that N.
Taqiyev had allegedly stolen 71,000 manats (about 41,800 dollars).
The PFPA leader called those accusations “fabricated, brazen and deliberate slander”.
He further pointed out that on 20 May 2025, Novruz Tagiyev was detained by four policemen in civilian clothes while picking up his child from school.
Then, he was physically harassed and handcuffed in a car for 9 hours before being brought to the Baku City Yasamal District Police Department, where they continued to physically harass him until midnight.
Ali Karimli considered all of that as a torture.
The PFPA leader continued by saying that on 20 May, besides Taqiyev, the police detained another party activist, Rashad Aliyev the following day, who was sentenced for allegedly resisting the policer for 25 days in jail. 81 Mr.
Ali Karimli, the PFPA Leader, was confident that the arrest of both activists had been motivated entirely by their political affiliation, and that the cases against them had been fabricated.
According to him, both N.
Taqiyev and R.
Aliyev accompanied Ali Karimli to different events, as did their associates arrested in recent months.
Novruz Taqiyev volunteered as the Party leader's bodyguard, while Rashid Aliyev accompanied him a few times to the meetings in his car according to the publication on the politician's Facebook page.
According to Ali Karimli, the Azerbaijani authorities are targeting activists close to him, sending a signal to the party's supporters to keep away from him: “There are already eight activists who have been arrested for driving me or accompanying me to various events in the last two months.” In the course of the trial and before the verdict was delivered, Novruz Taqiyev categorically denied the charges brought against him.
According to a statement by a representative of the PFPA, “Taghiyev stated that he had not received any money from the victim and that, in any case, no one would provide such sums without a notarised property sale and purchase agreement.
Novruz Taqiyev regards his arrest as a politically motivated order.
Another indication of the fabricated nature of the case was the alleged offer of a deal to Taghiyev.
He was reportedly asked to testify that Ali Karimli had allegedly met Ramiz Mehdiyev, and that Taghiyev had allegedly accompanied the leader of their party.
In return, he was promised release.
Taghiyev rejected that deal, stating that he could not act against his conscience and principles.
Novruz Taqiyev’s lawyer, Nemat Karimli, stated that both the verdict and the charges brought against his client were unfounded.
In an interview with journalists, he said: “There is no evidence in the case.
There is only one video recording showing the person recognised as the victim entering an office with a bag in his hands, but the contents of the bag are unknown.
The truth is that no home buyer would give such a large sum to a real estate agent without formal notarised documentation.
There are grounds to believe that this was a pre-planned provocation against Novruz Taghiyev.” He noted that the defence would lodge an appeal against the verdict.
