Gultekin Hajibeyli, a member of the Coordination Council of the National Council, has been deported from Turkey to Azerbaijan after 72 days in detention. The deportation was carried out during nighttime hours.

Hajibeyli was detained by police at her residence in Istanbul on the night of November 29–30 last year and placed in the Çatalca Removal Center. A G-82 restriction code was applied to her under Turkish legislation. This code is used for foreign nationals considered a threat to national security and provides for entry bans as well as deportation.

According to information published on the Unified Public Procurement Portal, the “Restoration, Construction and Management Service for Lachin District” has signed a contract for the purchase of a piano worth 72,000 AZN. The procurement was awarded to All Star LLC and conducted using the single-source method.

Open-source market data indicate that acoustic pianos in Azerbaijan are typically priced between 5,000 and 15,000 AZN. In this context, a procurement value of 72,000 AZN appears significantly higher than prevailing market ranges. The price difference may depend on the specific model, manufacturer, as well as delivery, installation, and related service costs. However, the portal does not provide detailed information on the piano’s brand or technical specifications.

A committee has been established to defend the rights of imprisoned Chair of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), Ali Karimli, the party announced on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the committee held its first meeting on February 4 and elected historian Jamil Hasanli and human rights defender Leyla Yunus as co-chairs.

The committee’s membership is open to public and political figures both inside Azerbaijan and abroad. During its inaugural session, the body also adopted its first declaration, describing the charges against Karimli as politically motivated.

The trial of Mehriban Rahimli, a former Azerbaijan adviser to the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), is set to begin as part of the ongoing criminal proceedings widely referred to as the country’s “NGO case.”

The case will be heard at the Baku Serious Crimes Court under the chairmanship of Judge Namiq Karimov. The first court hearing is scheduled for February 11.

Mehriban Rahimli was formally included in the investigation on March 24, 2025, and placed under police supervision as a preventive measure. She previously worked as an adviser on Azerbaijan-related issues for GMF.

Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected cassation appeals filed by imprisoned labor union leader Afiaddin Mammadov and civic activist Ilhamiz Guliyev, leaving their prison sentences in place.

Mammadov, chair of the “Worker’s Table” Trade Unions Confederation, was arrested on September 20, 2023. He was charged under multiple articles of the Criminal Code, including intentional infliction of serious bodily harm with hooligan intent, hooliganism involving a weapon, and illegal possession of a weapon. On January 14 last year, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

During the Supreme Court hearing, his lawyer, Zibeyda Sadiqova, stated that nearly 20 motions had been filed in lower courts but were never examined. Mammadov himself told the court that the proceedings had not been conducted fairly.

On January 28, another court hearing was held in the criminal case of Azer Gasimli, the detained director of the Institute of Political Management and a political figure.

At the hearing, which took place at the Baku Court for Grave Crimes under the chairmanship of Judge Telman Huseynov, the participation of Farahbanu Yusifova — the former wife of Gurbanali Yusifov, who accuses Gasimli of extortion through threats — was not ensured. Although she had previously been summoned to testify as a witness at the request of the defense, she once again failed to appear in court.

In this regard, Gasimli’s lawyer, Rovshana Rahimli, filed a motion requesting that the witness be brought to court by compulsory means. After deliberation, the court granted the motion.

On January 26, another court hearing was held in the criminal case against human rights defender Rufat Safarov, Executive Director of the “Defense Line” human rights organization. The session took place at the Baku Court for Grave Crimes.

According to case materials, the complainant, Natig Imanquliyev, claims he gave Safarov 60,000 AZN to purchase a land plot, which was allegedly neither bought nor refunded. He also alleges that during a dispute on December 3, 2024, he was physically injured. However, during questioning, the complainant was unable to explain the absence of any injuries on Safarov, despite claiming there had been a physical altercation. He also confirmed that he had not undergone a medical examination, raising further questions from the defense regarding the basis of the medical report included in the case file.

Since 2020, more than 25 billion manats have been allocated from the state budget for the reconstruction and redevelopment of the liberated territories, including funding planned through 2026. However, videos and footage shared by local residents on social media indicate that a number of construction and infrastructure projects have been carried out with poor quality.

The materials show that during heavy rainfall, water floods not only the basements but also the apartments of newly built residential buildings, collapses roadside fences, and washes away asphalt, creating potholes and trenches on roads. Although residents have repeatedly publicized these problems, they say no effective investigations have been conducted and no responsible officials have been held accountable. At best, the defects are addressed through temporary repairs.

Since December 26, 2025, courts in Baku have continued to announce in absentia verdicts against Azerbaijani bloggers residing abroad.

According to court rulings, Gabil Mammadov was sentenced to 16 years in prison, while Gurban Mammadov and Tural Sadigli received 14-year prison sentences.

Imprisoned journalists from Meydan TV have issued an open appeal to the Euronews television channel, drawing attention to systematic pressure and repression against independent media in Azerbaijan in recent years.

The journalists state that following the adoption of the restrictive Law “On Media” in 2022, contrary to international conventions and standards and criticized by the Venice Commission, pressure on independent media and journalists has taken on a total and systematic character.

According to the appeal, the process began in 2023 with the arrest of Abzas Media staff and the closure of its office, and continued in 2024 with the arrests of journalists from Toplum TV and Meydan TV, whose offices were also shut down. Some of the remaining independent journalists were forced to leave the country due to political pressure, while others who stayed were banned from traveling abroad or remain under investigation.