The wife of an Azerbaijani government critic faces libel charges.

The wife of Azer Gasimli, a political scientist convicted in Azerbaijan, has been charged with defamation. The woman's criminal prosecution was launched based on a complaint filed by a person recognized as a victim in her husband's case.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on March 11, a Baku court sentenced political scientist Azer Gasimli, director of the Institute of Political Management, to 12 years in prison. The defendant categorically denied the extortion charge and stated that he was arrested because of his socio-political activities and critical publications. His lawyers called the case fabricated.

Samira Gasimli, the wife of convicted Azer Gasimli, told Meydan TV that she has become a defendant in a defamation case.

"I received an SMS notification that a case had been opened against me in the Binagad District Court. After logging into the online system, I learned that the person who filed the complaint against Azer Gasimli, Gurbanali Yusifov, is accusing me under Article 147.1 of the Criminal Code, that is, defamation," the publication quoted Samira Gasimli as saying. No further details were provided.

As a reminder, in October 2025, during a court hearing in Azer Gasimli's case, the prosecutor pressured a witness, demanding that he read the testimony he had given during the investigation. The defense protested the prosecutor's actions. Witnesses are giving confused testimony and contradicting their own statements, Gasimly's wife said.

Samira Gasimly previously told the "Caucasian Knot" that in 2020, Yusifov, at Azer Gasimly's request, opened an account on a cryptocurrency website in his name and managed it. "In May and August of that year, Azer transferred a total of $20,000 to him, asking him to buy two bitcoins. We later discovered that he had only purchased one bitcoin. Then, for reasons that remain unclear to us, the bitcoin in Azer's account also disappeared," she said.

According to Samira Gasimly, in January 2022, Yusifov signed a receipt stating that he would repay her husband in monthly installments. However, Yusifov later left the country and lost contact with Azer Gasimli, who filed a lawsuit, which was upheld in April 2024 by the Mingachevir City Court.

"Nevertheless, at the end of 2024, Azer was arrested on false charges of extortion through threats. The real reason is his political views and criticism of the policies of the Azerbaijani authorities," said Samira Gasimli.

In 2024, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point in the country's 23 years of membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points about the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.