Journalist Ganimat Zahid sentenced in Baku

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A Baku court found journalist Ganimat Zahid guilty of inciting violence against the state and sentenced him in absentia to seven years' imprisonment.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in November, the human rights organization "End Repression in Azerbaijan," founded by Azerbaijani and foreign activists in 2024, reported that since the beginning of 2025, criminal cases have been opened in absentia in Azerbaijan against 24 government critics abroad – journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. Most of them are accused of open calls against the state and inciting unrest, human rights activists noted, naming journalist Ganimat Zahid among those under investigation. He was charged in absentia with calls against the state.

On December 23, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced journalist Ganimat Zahid in absentia, finding him guilty of open calls against the state, Oxu.az reports.

According to the indictment, Zahid disseminated open calls for violence against the legitimate government of Azerbaijan on YouTube in July 2018. For this, he was charged under Article 281.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code and sentenced to seven years in prison.

As a reminder, in September 2011, Ganimat Zahid (Zakhidov) reported threats against his family. In a letter to his colleagues, he stated that he was forced to take his family out of the country "due to a security threat." He received political asylum in France. In March 2022, the ECHR awarded Zahid €8,500 in compensation for the destruction of a manuscript during the investigation, finding a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. In June 2022, the Human Rights Court ruled again in favor of Zahid, finding a violation of his right to freedom of expression in connection with the payment ordered by the Azerbaijani court in a defamation lawsuit.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest level in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan". At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the presence of political prisoners in the country.