AFİƏDDİN MƏMMƏDOV

Afiəddin Məmmədov haqqında

Afiaddin Mammadov was born on 20 March 1995 in the Jalilabad district of Azerbaijan. He is a well-known social activist who works to protect the rights of workers. In March 2022, Mammadov established the only autonomous trade union in the country devoted to workers’ rights, the Workers’ Table Trade Unions Confederation. The group had staged a number of demonstrations in support of workers’ rights, but its activists and board members have frequently been persecuted and arrested.

Apart from his position in the Workers’ Table, Mammadov served on the board of the Democracy 1918 (D18) movement until its operations were halted on September 10, 2023.

Mammadov’s activism has resulted in several arrests. He was placed under administrative 30-day arrest three times in 2022 və 2023 for allegedly defying police orders. He says he was tortured and threatened with sexual assault during one of these detentions to force him to divulge the password to his phone.

Severe criminal charges, such as armed hooliganism and unlawful possession of cold weapons, were brought against him after his most recent arrest on 20 September 2023. Mammadov claims he was attacked and set up by police, and he rejects the accusations. He claims to have suffered a broken nose during his arrest, which has caused him to have breathing problems while he was held in the Baku Detention Centre. Mammadov insists that all of the accusations against him are politically motivated and retaliation for his efforts to protect workers’ rights.

Case description

Following his arrest on 21 September 2023, the Khatai Court remanded Afiaddin Mammadov for two months. His pre-trial detention was extended several times, once reportedly based on Mammadov’s social media posts, in which he criticised President Ilham Aliyev and voiced support for peace, according to reports from an independent media watchdog.

Human rights groups said that Mammadov’s health declined while he was being held in detention because he was not receiving the necessary medical attention. Additionally, he claimed that police tortured him both during and after his arrest, beating him and forcing him to put his fingerprints on a knife to frame him for the assault.

The Baku Court on Grave Crimes rejected all of the defence’s motions during his trial. The prosecutor asked for a 10-year sentence even though there was no evidence to support the charges. Mammadov was found guilty and given an eight-year prison sentence on 14 January 2025.

International condemnation has been directed towards Mammadov’s case. Human rights organisations, including the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), have demanded his release, claiming that his prosecution is a component of a larger government crackdown on Azerbaijani civil society and labour activists. On 18 February 2025, the ITUC wrote to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, urging his release and emphasising the oppressive nature of his prosecution.