FB Digest@VoxPOPULI   “The next parliamentary election is not an election, but a cheap play scripted to fit Ilham Aliyev's desires, with predetermined outcomes...” (Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms The preliminary hearing of political prisoner Sahib Mammadzade, chairman of the AXCP Dashkasan Regional Council, took place at the Ganja Serious Crimes Court. During the hearing, lawyer Zabil Gahramanov filed a petition requesting that Mammadzade be released under house arrest. However, presiding judge Natig Aliyev denied this petition and ordered that Mammadzade remain in custody....


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FB Digest@VoxPOPULI   “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...


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FB Digest@VoxPOPULI   “Under the new Labour government, the exposure of expensive properties, offshore accounts, and money laundering schemes linked to the Azerbaijani elite is expected to intensify...” (Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms The detention period of three more individuals arrested in connection with the "Toplum TV case" has been extended. On July 4, by the decision of the Khatai District Court, the detention period for Akif Gurbanov, the head of the "Institute for Democratic Initiatives" and spokesperson for the "III Republic Platform", Ruslan Izzetli, a founding...


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FB Digest@VoxPOPULI   “Aliyev relies on non-democratic regimes to protect his autocratic rule from the "dangerous" concepts of democracy, free elections, and popular sovereignty that might come from the United States and the European Union...” (Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) issued an official statement on July 3 regarding Azerbaijan. The Committee reports ongoing lack of cooperation from the Azerbaijani authorities. "The exceptional decision to issue an official statement stems from Azerbaijan's persistent...


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FB Digest@VoxPOPULI   “The quarantine regime gives additional opportunities to arrest people on false charges. Creating a closed society is the ideal of the family-feudal regime...” (Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms The health condition of Anar Mammadli, the imprisoned head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), has deteriorated, according to his relatives who visited him recently. Mammadli, who suffers from obstructive bronchitis, had been receiving treatment and regular inhalation therapy prior to his imprisonment. However, the lack of access to fresh...


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