ANAR MƏMMƏDLİ
İnsan haqları müdafiəçisi, (keçmiş) siyasi məhbus, azad və ədalətli seçki, yaxşı idarəetmə və siyasi hüquqlar carçısı, Avropa Şurası Vaslav Havel İnsan Hüquqları Mükafatı qalibi.
Anar Məmmədli haqqında
Anar Mammadli is a well-respected Azerbaijani democracy advocate and the co-founder of the only independent election watchdog, the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre (EMDS). Internationally, he has served with ENEMO and the OSCE/ODIHR in Turkey, Afghanistan, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Albania.
Anar Mammadli was born on 26 July 1978 in Yevlakh, Azerbaijan. He graduated from the Azerbaijan University of Languages with a bachelor’s degree in German language and philology in 1999. He received his Executive Master’s degree in Public Administration (EMPA) from Syracuse University (USA).
By 2003, Anar Mammadli had embarked on his mission of monitoring electoral processes. Anar’s attempts to register a non-governmental organisation were impeded by the bureaucratic obstacles and restrictions. The Election Monitoring Centre, which he co-founded in 2006, had its registration revoked in 2008. In the same year, he co-founded the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre. Again, his attempts to register were denied by the authorities, and his undeterred work around election monitoring continued in contravention of repeated warnings from the government.
Despite knowing the risks for civil and political rights defenders in Azerbaijan, amidst a climate of growing repression, the established Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre mobilised over 1,000 domestic election observers across the country over the following years.
His activism has twice led to his imprisonment on what have been widely condemned as politically motivated charges. After his 2013 arrest under the trumped-up charges, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that his detention was intended to silence and punish him for his election monitoring activities.[1] While in prison, he was awarded the prestigious Václav Havel Human Rights Prize in 2014.[2]
Anar Mammadli is widely connected internationally. He co-founded the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) in 2012, was a Steering Committee member of the EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, and collaborated with the Network of Human Rights Houses. In 2024, he co-founded the Climate of Justice Initiative ahead of COP29, to be held in Azerbaijan, intending to promote civil liberties, public participation and environmental justice.
In 2024, once again, he became a victim of arbitrary detention and reprisal for his human rights work in Azerbaijan.
[1] https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-182178
[2] https://pace.coe.int/en/news/5220/anar-mammadli-laureat-du-prix-des-droits-de-l-homme-vaclav-havel-2014
Anar Məmmədli barəsində həbs-qətimkan tədbiri seçildikdən sonra mayın 8-də Bakı şəhəri Xətai Rayon Məhkəməsində
Case update
Anar Mammadli was taken into custody on 29 April 2024 and was first accused of “smuggling by a group of persons by prior agreement.” His family claims that when authorities raided his and his parents’ homes, they planted money and seized personal belongings. First, until August 2024, then November 2024, and finally February 2025, the court’s order for his pre-trial detention was repeatedly extended.[3]
On 11 March 2025, authorities in Azerbaijan amended the indictment and expanded the charges to legalization of property obtained by criminal means committed by an organized group or a criminal organization (criminal community) (Criminal Code Article 193-1.3.1), legalization of property obtained by criminal means committed in a significant amount (Criminal Code Article 193-1.3.2), and smuggling by a group in prior collusion (Criminal Code Article 206.3.2). These politically motivated accusations are similar to one from 2013, when he was also imprisoned for his work on human rights. His 2013 detention was later declared illegal and politically motivated by the European Court of Human Rights, a ruling that Azerbaijan has not yet fully complied with.
All of the accusations were repeatedly denied by Mammadli and his defence team, who claimed that his persecution was a direct result of his work, which included the EMDS report on irregularities in the February 2024 presidential elections. If convicted, he may face 12 years in prison.
There were deep concerns expressed regarding Mammadli’s health and the prison conditions[4] while he was being held at the Baku Investigation Isolator. Mammadli has a slipped disc, arthritis, and bronchitis, among other chronic illnesses. According to his family and attorneys, his health deteriorated dramatically while he was in custody beginning in September 2024 as a result of inadequate conditions and medical attention.
Mammadli was allegedly refused access to an independent medical examination by specialists in spite of repeated requests. Doctors at the detention facility only administered basic tests to him, and the results were not shared with his legal team. His attorneys contested the government’s assertion that he had access to competent medical professionals, arguing that the treatment was insufficient.
According to reports from his legal team, his condition worsened as a result of prison conditions, such as inadequate exercise and a diet that wasn’t appropriate for his needs.
International condemnation of Mammadli’s case has been widespread. His immediate and unconditional release has been demanded by the UN independent experts, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and numerous international human rights organisations. These organisations have *emphasised time and time again that his detention seems to be retaliatory for his human rights work and his involvement with international human rights mechanisms, and it is a part of a larger crackdown on Azerbaijan’s civil society.
[3] https://jam-news.net/abzas-media-arrests-in-azerbaijan-anar-mammadli/
[4] https://srdefenders.org/azerbaijan-ongoing-prosecution-and-detention-of-anar-mammadli-and-deterioration-of-his-health-joint-communication/
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Azərbaycanda repressiyaya son qoymaq üçün Anar Məmmədli Kampaniyası hüquq müdafiəçiləri və QHT-lərin birgə layihəsidir və iyirmi ildən artıqdır ki, əsassız həbs praktikasının sistem xarakterini vurğulayır.
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