Asaf Ahmadov

Civil society representative; former associate of EMDS and Chair of Ganja Regional Community Centre; imprisoned under bogus charges.

About Asaf Ahmadov

Asaf Ahmadov, a civil activist and seasoned election monitor, became known as the head of the Ganja Regional Community Centre, an organisation dedicated to community group initiatives. His participation in the democratic process went beyond local activism. In January 2019, he was an observer for the Ukrainian presidential election as part of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre. Because of his history of independent civic engagement and critical work, he was a target of political persecution.

In 2015, during the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, Ahmadov faced intimidation from the police and local executive authorities following the election period. After he was seen visiting several polling stations, he was told by officials to leave the country and only return after the elections were over. This incident highlighted the practice of state-led targeting of independent election observers and activists.

In the new wave of repression against civil society in Azerbaijan, Ahmadov was caught up in the government’s crackdown in 2024, which was called the “NGO Case”. This case reopened an investigation from 2014 into grant recipients.

Asaf Ahmadov poster

Case description

On 9 April 2024, Asaf Ahmadov was arrested and remanded for three months and four days in pre-trial detention. He was charged under Criminal Code Article 193-1.3.2 (legalisation of large-scale criminally obtained property, or money laundering in a significant amount), Article 308.2 (abuse of official powers causing grave consequences), and Article 313 (official forgery). He denied all of the charges against him.1

The Binagadi District Court extended Asaf Ahmadov’s pre-trial detention for another three months on 9 July 2025. He is now being held with other well-known civil society leaders, such as Zamin Zaki (a social worker), Bashir Suleymanli (the head of the Institute for Civil Rights), and Mammad Alpay (the Executive Director of the Election Monitoring Alliance).2

In October 2025, the case was sent to trial on the merits.

References

 

  1. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/29/azerbaijan-uses-old-criminal-case-ramp-repression
  2. https://abzas.org/en/2025/7/court-extends-detention-of-civ1c47a46f-8/

Resources about Asaf Ahmadov

Kampaniyanın bütün Campaign’s resources resursları CC0 şərtləri altında Creative Commons Lisenziyası CC0 conditions, meaning these resources are public dedication tools, with no copyright, put into the worldwide public domain.

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