Former Leader of Dissolved AY Party Sentenced to 4 Years and 6 Months in Prison

The trial of Anar Asadli, former chairman of the dissolved Azerbaijan Rise Party (AY Party), has concluded.

On May 22, the Baku Serious Crimes Court, chaired by Judge Elnur Nuriyev, delivered its verdict. The court sentenced Asadli to four years and six months in prison, taking into account the time he had already spent in detention.

Earlier, the prosecutor had requested a seven-year prison sentence. The recognized victims in the case, Ogtay Gasimov and Etibar Nasibov, stated that they agreed with the prosecution’s position.

The defense rejected the charges. Lawyer Rasul Jafarov argued in court that Asadli had borrowed money from the complainants and that the matter should be considered a civil dispute rather than a criminal offense. The defense requested an acquittal.

In his final statement, Anar Asadli also declared that he did not consider himself guilty.

The former party leader was found guilty under Article 178.3.2 of the Criminal Code — fraud involving large-scale damages.

Anar Asadli was first arrested in April 2023. He was released under house arrest in July of the same year, and the criminal case was terminated in October. However, the Prosecutor General’s Office later overturned that decision and returned the case for further investigation. On October 24, 2025, he was re-arrested in the courtroom under the same case.

Anar Asadli was elected chairman of the Azerbaijan Rise Party in 2020. Although the party was officially registered in 2021, it announced the suspension of its activities in June 2023.