A witness in the Anar Mammadli case did not confirm the investigation's version of events.

At a Baku court hearing, the head of the Election Observation organization testified in the case of human rights activist Anar Mammadli and journalist Anar Abdulla. He denied the prosecution's allegations of smuggling.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on September 22, 2025, at a Baku court hearing, Anar Mammadli, head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), delivered a defense speech. He pointed out to the court the political nature of his criminal prosecution and compared it to the practice of Soviet repression.

Persecution of human rights defenders and civil society activists in Azerbaijan

On March 2, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes held a hearing on the case of Anar Mammadli and Anar Abdulla, a media expert who observed the trial told a Caucasian Knot correspondent today. Rovshan Hajibeyli.

At the hearing, the court continued to hear witness testimony. Among them was Mammad Mammadzade, head of the Election Observation Alliance, who is charged in another criminal case.

According to Hajibeyli, Mammadzade was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs, which were not removed even when he testified before the court. Initially, Mammadzade refused to testify, citing the fact that he himself was facing the same charges as Anar Mammadli. However, Judge Aygun Gurbanova stated that he was obligated to testify in this case, as he was a witness.

After this, Mammadzade confirmed his testimony given during the preliminary investigation, emphasizing that he had been involved in educating citizens about electoral rights through the Center for Election Rights and Vocational Education (CEVOD) projects.

Mammadli's lawyer, Elchin Sadigov, according to Hajibeyli, objected to the state prosecutor's questions, explaining to the judge that they were "leading." The prosecutor responded aggressively, claiming that the defense was "inappropriately interfering" with his work.

Furthermore, citing the judge's lack of response, the prosecutor challenged the composition of the court, a rare occurrence in Azerbaijani judicial practice, Hajibeyli emphasized.

Abdulla's lawyer, Gunay Ismayilova, also spoke out against the prosecutor's response. The prosecutor then explained his raised voice by saying that those present in the courtroom couldn't hear him. However, this explanation drew laughter in the courtroom, Hajibeyli noted.

After a short break, the challenge was overturned, and the court then continued hearing Mammadzade's testimony. Asked whether he had flown with the defendant Abdullah on the same plane to Georgia and participated in the same event there, Mammadzade said he didn't recall such a thing.

I didn't keep track of who exactly I traveled with.

"I have visited various countries as part of international organizations and missions—33 countries in total." "I didn't keep track of who exactly I traveled with," Hajibeyli recounted Mammadzade's words.

The witness also emphasized that he never smuggled money across the border illegally.

The prosecutor became angry because I objected to his question.

Commenting on the hearing, lawyer Elchin Sadygov called the state prosecutor's "aggressive tone" unacceptable. "Yesterday, at Anar Mammadli's trial, the state prosecutor became angry because I objected to his question. He started raising his voice, literally shouting at me. Moreover, he even used the same tone with the panel of judges. However, instead of cooling the prosecutor's ardor, the court issued a warning not to him, but to me," Sadygov told a Caucasian Knot correspondent today.

A court employee refrained from commenting to a Caucasian Knot correspondent and only noted that the next hearing in this case will be held on March 16.

Why Abzas Media has displeased the Azerbaijani authorities

As a reminder, seven employees of the online publication Abzas Media 1 were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years in June 2025. In court, they denied the charges, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption. The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point 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 existence of political prisoners in the country.