ALI KARIMLI

Ali Karimli, born on 28 April 1965 in the Saatly District of Azerbaijan, is a well-known Azerbaijani politician and the long-standing chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP). He has been a key figure in the country’s opposition for decades.

Karimli served in the Soviet army and studied law at Baku State University. During his student years, he started the “Yurd” (Homeland) movement to support democratic reforms and organised protests against the communist government.

He started his professional life as a teacher at his alma mater and a writer for the independent newspaper Azadlıq. During the presidency of Abulfaz Elchibey in 1993, he served as Secretary of State, but resigned after the coup put Heydar Aliyev in power.

Karimli was elected to parliament in 1995 and 2000, and in 2000 he became the leader of the “reformist” wing of the APFP.

Karimli has been subjected to state-led harassment and persecution for over 20 years. Since 2006, he has been effectively banned from travelling on the grounds of the authorities’ refusal to renew his international passport. He has also been subjected to numerous administrative detentions, police violence during peaceful rallies—notably in 2019 when he was beaten in custody—and constant surveillance. His internet access is frequently restricted, and several of his close associates, including drivers and bodyguards, have been targeted with criminal charges. In July 2015 and July 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that there were violations of his rights in connection to his 20-year travel ban and concerning the unlawful and disproportionate measures againsthim as a participant in public assemblies.