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“Ilham Aliyev‘s deliberate policies over many years have completely destroyed the electoral institution and the public’s trust and confidence in elections in the country…”

(Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms

Activist Aykhan Israfilov was brutally beaten and placed in solitary confinement. Israfilov was taken from the Penitentiary Facility on June 29, 2024, and since then, there has been no information about his whereabouts. His family members and lawyer contacted the Penitentiary Service to obtain information, but the Penitentiary Service stated that they would only respond to written requests. Subsequently, contact was made with the Ombudsman’s Office, which informed that Ayxan had been taken to the 17th Correctional Facility. However, during this period, Ayxan did not make any calls to his family, and it was not possible to find out where he was being held. On July 14, 2024, Ayxan’s family went to the 17th Correctional Facility to see him but they were informed that he was not there. The family then went to the 2nd facility and found out that he was not there either. Finally, when they went to the 10th Correctional Facility, they were informed that Ayxan was there. During the visit, it was revealed that Ayxan had been directly brought to the 10th facility on June 29. There, Ayxan underwent a search, and the staff asked about the medications he had with him. Ayxan explained that his leg was injured and that he needed to use the medications regularly. When the staff tried to take the medications, Ayxan objected. As a result of this objection, the staff brutally beat him. He was slapped 15 times in the face and punched once in the chest. Afterward, he was placed in solitary confinement. Ayxan was not allowed to contact his family. He was kept in inhumane conditions in solitary confinement for 14 days and was not provided with food during this period. Ayxan survived on only four eggs. When his family visited him, Ayxan had lost a lot of weight, was walking with difficulty, and was struggling to speak. After the beating, they tried to make him write an explanation stating that he resisted and interfered with the staff during the search. However, Ayxan refused to write such an explanation and instead wrote that he was beaten for objecting to the use of his personal medications. Ayxan Israfilov is currently still being held in solitary confinement and has not been transferred to the main area.

An attempt was made to stab Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP) member Alizamin Salayev in prison. This was reported by Salayev’s family. “Alizamin called. He said that a provocation had been staged against him. Although he couldn’t provide precise details, he said the following: Someone in the prison tried to stab him and his fellow inmates intervened and took the knife from the attacker.”

The III Republic Platform reports that their spokesperson, Akif Gurbanov, who is currently detained in the Baku Detention Center, is facing pressure. According to information provided to Meydan TV by the III Republic Platform, Gurbanov is being held in a four-person cell that now houses six people. “This adds extra suffering to the detainees during a period of extreme heat. We believe these pressures are specifically targeted at Akif Gurbanov,” stated the Platform. The III Republic Platform claims that such decisions are political and that the authorities are trying to keep prisoners under moral and psychological pressure. The organization asserts that these are not the first pressures against Akif Gurbanov. After his speech in court was publicized in the media, Akif Gurbanov faced serious threats. His family visits were obstructed, and restrictions were placed on his phone calls. In a statement issued by the III Republic Platform on June 4, it was highlighted that following this incident, a high-ranking government official visited the Baku Detention Center and threatened Gurbanov harshly.

Lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova has said that detained media rights expert Alasgar Mammadli’s health has sharply deteriorated. “After every court hearing or meeting, we see that his condition is worsening. Currently, his family and friends are only praying that Mr. Mammadli’s health does not deteriorate further, as they fear severe consequences.”

Snap Parliamentary elections

The AXCP has issued a statement announcing its boycott of the snap parliamentary elections in September. Last month, the Milli Majlis (parliament) decided to dissolve itself, and following the Constitutional Court’s approval of this decision, snap parliamentary elections were scheduled for September 1. In its statement, the Party says that all these swift formal procedures were merely to give the appearance of complying with legal requirements. In reality, the decision to hold snap parliamentary elections was made at the behest of Ilham Aliyev, who has established one-man rule in the country, with reasons and motivations known only to him and his close circle. The AXCP has repeatedly stated, both before the snap election issue arose and previously, that minimal conditions must be met for elections to be held. At the very least, political prisoners should be released, protests should be allowed, and conditions should be created for the opposition and independent organizations to observe and monitor the election process. Only under these circumstances would the AXCP participate in the elections. Otherwise, what is happening cannot be called an election but merely an administrative event staged for appearances, and the AXCP has no intention of participating in such an event. The statement also adds that “unfortunately, Ilham Aliyev‘s government has even abandoned the pretense of holding genuine elections and is proceeding with the September 1 elections in an environment where political freedoms and human rights have been completely eradicated, and lawlessness has reached its peak.” AXCP highlights that there are still over 300 political prisoners in the country, freedom of assembly is not guaranteed, election commissions are entirely controlled by the government, it is impossible to monitor the voting and vote-counting processes, independent media has been destroyed, and there is no provision for independent local election observation. Given these circumstances, the AXCP is boycotting the September 1 snap parliamentary elections. In its decision, the AXCP also considers that the public has shown no interest in elections under the current conditions and has essentially taken a boycott stance towards the September 1 elections. The AXCP declares that under these conditions and with these terms, no election can be considered legitimate, and the parliament formed through the September 1 election will not represent the will of the Azerbaijani people but will merely be an updated office of the Presidential Administration. The AXCP understands and appreciates the public’s indifference to this election and calls on the people to massively refrain from participating in this sham election that will not reflect their will. The AXCP expects the international community to take a principled stance on this predetermined sham election and refuse to observe it. “Ilham Aliyev‘s deliberate policies over many years have completely destroyed the electoral institution and the public’s trust and confidence in elections in the country,” the statement noted.

Azerbaijan has expressed its desire to join BRICS (an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates). Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis (Parliament), announced this during her speech at the plenary session of the X Parliamentary Forum of BRICS countries. “Azerbaijan promotes dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity in its foreign policy. Specifically, this pertains to cooperation with BRICS. Azerbaijan has already expressed its desire to join BRICS,” said Gafarova. A few days ago, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during his visit to China, also expressed his country’s desire to join BRICS.

Chairperson of the AXCP, opposition leader Ali Karimli commented on Gafarova’s statement, saying: “The regime’s primary aim in joining BRICS, a bloc led by China and Russia, is to support the international club of authoritarians in its struggle against the democratic world and to prevent the country’s democratization. The regime’s main goal is to deprive the Azerbaijani people of their constitutional rights and freedoms, keeping them in perpetual subjugation. Our people should not watch their fate like a movie. Demanding Azerbaijan’s integration into Europe should be the main priority for all compatriots who are not indifferent to their fate.”

The seized properties of Movlam Shikhaliyev, former head of the Main Investigation Department of the now-dissolved Ministry of National Security (MNS), have been put up for sale. His villa, located in the Novkhani settlement of Binagadi district, was sold at the auction for 1 million 174 thousand manats to Shikhaliyev’s son, Elgun Shikhaliyev. Elgun Shikhaliyev appealed to the Binagadi District Court to lift the seizure order on this property. The judge found the appeal justified, and the seizure of the property was lifted. Movlam Shikhaliyev has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Properties registered under his and his family members’ names, valued at nearly 8 million manats, have been confiscated. By presidential decree, Movlam Shikhaliyev has also been stripped of his rank of “major general” and state honors.

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