Six political migrants charged in absentia in Baku in criminal cases

Investigators requested six political migrants to return to Azerbaijan in connection with criminal proceedings.

In particular, Gurban Mamedov, the head of the “Azerfredoom” YouTube channel, Tural Sadygly, the head of the “Azad Soz” YouTube channel, bloggers Mukhamed Mirzali, Elshad Mamedov, Gabil Mamedov, and entrepreneur Ilgar Gadjiev, the former head of the large Azerbaijani “Akkord” Company, have been summoned to investigators in Baku.

Criminal cases have been instituted against them under such articles as “fraud”, “public calls against the state”, “attempt to violently seize power”, “terrorism”, and others. In case of failure to appear for investigation, criminal proceedings will be conducted in absentia and court sentences will be issued.

If the summoned persons do not appear for investigation, they may be put on the international wanted list through Interpol or within the framework of the European Convention on Extradition, notes lawyer Samed Ragimli.

“However, if they have been granted refugee status in their countries of residence, their extradition to Azerbaijan will be impossible,” Samed Ragimli emphasized.

The lawyer believes that the public dissemination of messages about summoning political migrants for investigation indicates the authorities’ plans to seek the extradition of government critics. “The government is obviously seeking to spread abroad the wave of repression that began in 2023,” Samed Ragimli stated.

Another legal expert suggests that the Azerbaijani authorities are trying to use the situation with the increase in anti-migrant sentiment in Europe to achieve the extradition of their critics.

“Some political migrants resort to open defamation and insults on social networking services ... Azerbaijani officials cannot punish them through lawsuits, since in Europe they do not put people in prison for expressions. Therefore, in order to achieve their extradition, criminal cases are being instituted against them. True, those who have refugee status are protected. But now the situation in Europe is changing, anti-migrant sentiment is growing ... and the authorities of European countries have to take that into account,” the expert noted.