11:59, 2 October 2025

The uncle of an opposition Azerbaijani blogger has been sentenced to a prison term.

An Azerbaijani court sentenced Elmir Sadigli, the uncle of opposition blogger Tural Sadigli, to 2.5 years in prison on charges of illegal arms trafficking. Relatives of the man claimed the trial was unfair and the verdict was unfounded.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, Elmir Sadigli, the uncle of opposition blogger and political émigré Tural Sadigli, was arrested in April on charges of illegal possession of ammunition. The activist links his uncle's arrest to his criticism of the Azerbaijani government.

Tural Sadigli is the administrator of the Azad söz (Free Speech) page on Facebook*, which sharply criticizes the policies of the Azerbaijani authorities. In May 2019, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case against the exiled blogger; he was placed on the Interpol wanted list. On March 17, investigators demand that six political emigrants, including Tural Sadigli, return to Azerbaijan in connection with the criminal prosecution. Elmir Sadigli was charged under criminal article 228.1 (illegal arms trafficking), which carries a sentence of up to 3 years in prison.

At the trial of Elmir Sadigli in the Sabunchu District Court of Baku on October 1, the verdict was announced. As the brother of the accused, Alovsat Sadygly, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the court sentenced Sadygly to 2.5 years in prison.

"The court's verdict was the logical result of an unfounded criminal prosecution and an unfair trial. While my brother asked for at least a week to prepare for his final statement, Judge Samira Mammadli gave him 5 minutes. Of course, during this time he could not prepare a speech in his defense, with justifications and arguments. This fact alone is sufficient to consider the court's decision illegal and unfair," said Alovsat Sadygly, a member of the Committee Against Torture and Repression.

He believes the case against his brother is politically motivated. "A grenade was allegedly found in my brother's car. But there is no evidence that the ammunition belonged to my brother - the accusers and witnesses are the law enforcement officers themselves. They planted it themselves, Found.

Elmir's arrest is revenge against our family for my son, Tural Sadygly, criticizing the government. They can't get their hands on Tural and are taking out their vengeance and anger on his relatives. "My other son, Elgiz Sadygly, was arrested in the past on drug charges," said Alovsat Sadygly, a member of the Committee Against Torture and Repression.

In 2015, Tural's brother, Elgiz Sadygly, was arrested on drug trafficking charges; a few months later, he received a suspended sentence. In 2018, Elgiz was arrested again for 30 days after Tural Sadigli launched the international "Let's Talk About the Dictator" campaign to protest the snap presidential elections in Azerbaijan.

The defendant's lawyer, Nazim Musayev, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that despite the defense's arguments about the lack of credible evidence against his client, the judge delivered a guilty verdict without even allowing the defendant to speak in his own defense. According to him, the defense will appeal the verdict.

A Sabunchi court employee confirmed the verdict in Sadigli's case.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/415941