The General Rapporteur on political prisoners of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC), has called for the immediate release of Azerbaijani human rights defender Anar Mammadli.

In a statement marking the second anniversary of Mammadli’s detention, Rojhan described him as a prominent election monitor and civil society activist, as well as the recipient of the 2014 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. She noted that he is currently facing multiple charges widely viewed as retaliation for his civic engagement, independent election monitoring, and cooperation with international organizations.

Mammadli was most recently arrested on April 29, 2024, marking the second time he has been detained in connection with his human rights work. He was previously imprisoned following the 2013 presidential elections in Azerbaijan due to his election monitoring activities.

The Baku Court of Appeal has reviewed the complaint of Azer Gasimli, head of the Institute of Political Management.

According to information provided to Meydan TV by Gasimli’s wife, Samira Gasimli, the recognized victim Gurbanali Yusibov and his lawyer did not attend the hearing. Gasimli’s lawyer, Rovshana Rahimli, objected to this, stating that she had questions for the victim. The state prosecutor opposed the objection, noting that these questions had already been addressed in the court of first instance.

The defense filed a motion requesting a renewed investigation and the questioning of Farahbanu Niftaliyeva, the former wife of Yusibov, as a witness. Lawyer Rovshana Rahimli stated that although the court had previously decided to hear Niftaliyeva as a witness, this decision had not been implemented. She emphasized that Niftaliyeva’s testimony would reveal the absurdity of the charges against Azer Gasimli.

On April 27, another court hearing in the “Toplum TV case” was held at the Baku Grave Crimes Court. The session, chaired by Judge Azer Taghiyev, continued with the questioning of witnesses.

During the hearing, the defendants submitted several motions. Alaskar Mammadli, co-founder of “Toplum TV” and a media expert, once again requested to be released under house arrest. He emphasized his health problems, stating that he needs an examination and treatment for tumors in his throat, including consultation with an endocrinologist and hormonal tests. According to him, these services are not available at the Baku Pretrial Detention Center.

Mehriban Rahimli, one of the defendants in the so-called “NGO case” and a former Azerbaijan advisor to the German Marshall Fund of the United States, testified at the Baku Grave Crimes Court on April 27.

She is among approximately 15 civil society representatives who have been prosecuted as part of an investigation launched early last year by the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office into the activities of local and international organizations.

Rahimli has been charged under Articles 193-1.3.2 (legalization of property obtained through criminal means, on a large scale), 308 (abuse of official authority), and 313 (official forgery) of the Criminal Code.

"DILER INSAAT" OJSC has been announced the winner of a tender held by the Shusha City State Reserve Administration. Under the contract, the company will carry out the construction of seven residential buildings and landscaping works in the D-3 district of Shusha city as part of the second phase of the project. For these works, the company will be paid 29,373,906.67 manats.

"DILER INSAAT" OJSC was officially registered on October 28, 2016. The company’s legal address is 73A Moscow Avenue, Yasamal district, Baku. Its authorized capital is 2,010 manats, and its legal representative is Elkhan Fuzuli Suleymanov.

According to publicly available information, the company currently owes 25,861.24 manats in taxes to the state budget. Despite this, "DILER INSAAT" actively participates in public procurement and continues to win large-scale tenders.

According to an audit report by the Chamber of Accounts, a number of serious irregularities were identified during the review of state investments allocated to Azerenerji OJSC for the construction of Small Hydropower Plants (SHPPs) in the liberated territories.

The report states that state investments were allocated for the construction of seven SHPPs during 2022–2024 without carrying out technical and economic feasibility studies for the projects. The audit covered more than 255.8 million manats in total.

The inspection found that after the plants were commissioned, only 14.7% to 46% of their generating capacity was utilized. As a result, profitability indicators declined and production costs increased.

The Chamber of Accounts has identified a number of serious violations and inconsistencies during audits conducted at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agrarian Credit and Development Agency (AKIA), and the Agrarian Subsidy Council.

The information was published in the Chamber’s official bulletin, State Audit. The inspections covered the years 2022-2025.

According to the report, based on satellite imagery, cultivation work, and in some cases even plowing, could not be confirmed on 117,454 hectares of land. Despite this, a total of 24.2 million manats in crop subsidies was paid to 19 farmers.

The audit also found significant discrepancies between the areas for which subsidies were paid and the areas that were actually harvested.

Thus, in 2023–2024, subsidies totaling 10.235 million manats were paid for 44,502 hectares of land where no harvesting took place.

A resident resettled in the Karabakh region has expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the house allocated to him.

The former internally displaced person, who has been living for about a month in the village of Horovlu in the Jabrayil district, claims that the house provided to him was built with poor quality. A video presented by the resident appears to show that the foundation of the house was constructed without cement. According to him, sand rather than cement can be seen behind tiles that have fallen off the wall.

The homeowner also says the roof leaks, and when it rains, water enters both the living room and the bedroom. He states that he has appealed to various authorities regarding the issue, but has been advised to “be patient.”

The international legal organization Clooney Foundation for Justice has released a report monitoring the trial of Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofig Yagublu, identifying serious violations of his legal rights during the court proceedings.

According to the report, several of Yagublu’s fundamental rights were violated during the 15-month investigation and trial process. Monitoring findings indicate that Yagublu was held in a glass enclosure throughout all court hearings, a practice the organization says undermined his dignity and effectively prevented confidential communication with his lawyers.

The report also states that notes Yagublu attempted to pass to his legal team were confiscated and read by prison guards. The court dismissed the defense’s complaints about these actions, justifying them as part of a “security protocol.”

The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has rejected the cassation appeals of journalists arrested in connection with the “Abzas Media case,” leaving the previous court rulings in force.

At the latest court hearing chaired by Judge Zaur Huseynov, the court also reviewed cassation appeals filed by other defendants in the case — journalists Hafiz Babali, Sevinc Vaqifqizi, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova.

As the female journalists from Abzas Media did not attend the hearing, they were represented by their lawyers during the proceedings. Since November 2023, several journalists associated with Abzas Media have been detained. Those arrested include Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief Sevinc Vaqifqizi, project coordinator Mohammad Kekalov, investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, journalists Elnara Gasimova and Nargiz Absalamova, as well as Farid Mehralizade, an economist and contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.