Complaints about the quality of homes built under the government's reconstruction program in the Khojavend district continue to emerge. Videos circulating on social media show residents raising concerns about construction defects, while construction workers claim they have not been paid their wages for months.

Khojavend resident Ramil Telman oglu Huseynov said in a video that the house allocated to him has serious construction defects. According to him, large cracks have appeared in the perimeter wall, which is now at risk of collapsing.

"The wall has cracked, and rain has washed away its foundation. It was built with mud. Does someone have to die under it? The heating boiler doesn't work either," the resident says in the video.

He claims that the house was built with poor quality workmanship and that the problems have not been addressed despite his complaints.

Mammad Alpay, Chair of the Election Monitoring Alliance and a human rights defender recognized as a political prisoner, has issued a statement raising concerns about the conditions of his detention and restrictions on his rights.

According to Alpay, in-person visits with immediate family members have effectively been suspended for the past six months. During this period, only visits through a glass partition have been permitted. He says the detention facility's administration has repeatedly promised to restore face-to-face visits, but those promises have not been fulfilled. At the same time, even visits through a glass partition are reportedly not allowed for extended family members and friends.

Alpay also states that magazines, newspapers, and, in some cases, books sent to him by his relatives have not been delivered.

He further complains that prisoners are transported to court hearings in special prison vehicles under overcrowded conditions. According to him, the number of detainees placed in these vehicles exceeds their intended capacity, causing significant discomfort during transportation.

Another concern relates to the treatment of detainees after court hearings. Alpay says that, instead of being returned promptly to the detention facility, detainees are often forced to remain inside courthouse buildings for several hours and, in some cases, until the end of the day.

A resident resettled in the village of Khanabad in the Khojaly district under Azerbaijan's Great Return Program has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the condition of the apartment allocated to him by posting a video on social media.

The resident, who had previously lived in an administrative building located in the yard of Secondary School No. 280 in Baku, says that the apartment he was assigned (No. 1897354) has numerous construction and utility defects.

In the video, the resident claims that sections of the property's fence have collapsed and that rainwater floods both the yard and the living areas, causing severe dampness inside the house. According to him, the parquet flooring shifts underfoot, raising serious concerns about the quality of construction.

On June 24, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution entitled “Silencing Critical Voices in Azerbaijan.” The resolution was approved by 68 votes in favor, 8 against, and 6 abstentions.

The resolution expresses serious concern about the state of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan. According to the document, as of May 2026, the number of political prisoners in the country had risen to 328. It also highlights the large number of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning Azerbaijan that remain unimplemented.

PACE notes that restrictive legislation adopted in recent years has significantly curtailed the activities of independent journalists, the political opposition, civil society organizations, and advocates of freedom of expression.

A total of 4.45 billion manats was spent on reconstruction and restoration projects in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories in 2025. This represents a decrease of nearly 900 million manats compared to the previous year, when 5.4 billion manats were allocated for the same purpose.

The figures were disclosed in the Chamber of Accounts’ opinion on the execution of the 2025 state budget.

According to the report, 3.9 billion manats of the funds spent last year were directed toward the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure projects. Financing was mainly provided through the state budget’s dedicated reconstruction program, the Reserve Fund, and state capital investments.

The Chamber of Accounts noted that accounts receivable related to reconstruction projects continue to grow. Outstanding receivables accumulated by nine contracting entities reached 517.4 million manats, an increase of 35 percent, or 150.3 million manats, compared to the beginning of 2025.

On June 17, the Ganja Court for Grave Crimes announced its verdict in the case of civil society activist Asaf Ahmadov, who was prosecuted in connection with the so-called "NGO Case."

According to the court's ruling, Ahmadov, the head of the Ganja Regional Community Center, was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.

Asaf Ahmadov was arrested in April 2025 as part of the renewed investigation known as the "NGO Case." He rejects the charges against him and maintains that the prosecution is linked to his civic activism.

Arrests in the "NGO Case" began in March 2025. At that time, Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Institute for Civil Rights, and Mammad Alpay (Mammadzade), Executive Director of the Election Monitoring Alliance, were placed in pre-trial detention.

On June 12, the Baku Court for Grave Crimes announced its verdict in the case of Rufat Safarov, Executive Director of the human rights organization Defense Line.

The trial was presided over by Judge Aygun Gurbanova. According to the court’s ruling, Safarov was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.

Earlier, the state prosecutor had requested a nine-year prison sentence.

Rufat Safarov was arrested on December 3, 2024. He was charged under Articles 127.2.3 (intentional infliction of less serious bodily harm), 178.3.2 (fraud causing substantial damage), and 221.1 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. These charges carry a maximum penalty of up to ten years in prison.

Afgan Sadigov, founder of the online media outlet AzelTV and an independent journalist, has been detained following a court decision ordering his pre-trial imprisonment.

According to his lawyer, a criminal case that had been opened against Sadigov in 2024 and later terminated by the Prosecutor General’s Office has now been reopened. He has been charged under Articles 182.2.1 (extortion committed by a group acting in prior conspiracy), 182.2.2 (repeated commission of extortion), and 182.2.4 (extortion committed with the intent of obtaining a substantial amount of property) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

According to the defense, individuals recognized as victims in the case appealed the Prosecutor General’s decision to terminate the proceedings. On June 9, the Binagadi District Court reviewed the complaint, overturned the termination decision, and ordered the case to be returned for further investigation. On the same day, the court ordered Sadigov’s detention until July 30, 2026.

On 8 June, the Baku Court on Grave Crimes concluded the judicial investigation phase in the criminal case against journalists and civil society representatives associated with “Toplum TV.”

During the hearing, chaired by Judge Azer Tagiyev, the state prosecutor requested prison sentences ranging from 13 to 16 years for the defendants.

The prosecutor asked the court to sentence Akif Gurbanov, spokesperson of the Third Republic Platform, and Ruslan Izzatli, a member of the organization’s founding board, to 16 years in prison. Fifteen-year sentences were requested for Alasgar Mammadli, co-founder of Toplum TV, and Ali Zeynalov, an employee of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives.

The prosecution further requested 14-year prison terms for Ramil Babayev, Ilkin Amrahov, and Mushfig Jabbarov, while seeking 13-year sentences for journalists Farid Ismayilov and Elmir Abbasov.

In a Facebook post, Emin Bayramli, the son of Gubad Ibadoghlu, reported that after a long interruption and three years of imprisonment, May 30, 2026, was supposed to be the first time his father would undergo a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan to determine the extent of the enlargement of his aorta and to assess the condition of his heart valves and blood vessels. An appointment for the examination had been scheduled on May 16, 2026, and was finally set for May 30.

However, after arriving at the Yeni Klinika (New Clinic) hospital in Baku shortly after 7:00 a.m., Gubad Ibadoghlu was informed, following approximately one hour of waiting, that the examination could not be conducted because the contrast agent had run out.

This explanation raises serious questions. How is it possible that the largest hospital in the South Caucasus lacks the contrast material required for a pre-scheduled examination? If such a problem existed, why was he not informed in advance?