BASHIR SULEYMANLI

About Bashir Suleymanli

Bashir Suleymanli, born on 20 March 1980 in the Yevlakh district, is a prominent human rights defender, civil society member, and election expert. In 2001, he graduated from Baku State University’s Faculty of Journalism. During his student years, Bashir Suleymanli was an active member of a youth organisation. He also worked at newspapers such as Merkez and Bu Gün during that time.

Since 2001, he has been involved in organising election monitoring for presidential, parliamentary, and municipal elections, as well as referendums held in Azerbaijan. He also participated as an international observer in elections held in Ukraine under the ENEMO network. The government subjected him to harassment and prosecution for his human rights and election monitoring activism.

After graduation, on 24 July 2001, Bashir Suleymanli co-founded the Election Monitoring Centre (EMC). The independent election monitoring organisation was deprived of its registration on 14 May 2008 by the decision of the Khatai District Court. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan based the court decision on an unlawful claim. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)[1] found that the repeated refusal to register the Election Monitoring Centre (EMC) and its later closure by Azerbaijani courts violated Article 11 (Freedom of Association) of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, stating that these actions were unfair and not allowed.

Following the 2008 court decision, together with Anar Mammadli, Bashir Suleymanli founded the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre (EMDS). Anar Mammadli became the head of EMDS, while Bashir Suleymanli served as its executive director.

After the highly controversial presidential elections held in October 2013 in Azerbaijan, which were followed by widespread fraud allegations, a government crackdown on dissent, and a restrictive political environment, human rights and election monitoring activists Bashir Suleymanli and Anar Mammadli were charged with politically motivated criminal charges initiated by the Investigation Department for Serious Crimes under the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan.[2]

On 26 May 2014, the Baku Court for Serious Crimes convicted Suleymanli and sentenced him to three years and six months in prison. He was immediately taken into custody from the courtroom. The charges against him included embezzlement or misappropriation of entrusted property in large amounts, illegal entrepreneurship with large-scale income, tax evasion in significant amounts, abuse of official powers to influence election results, and official forgery. Suleymanli rejected all charges, asserting they were fabricated and that his arrest was directly linked to his independent activities. A presidential pardon decree released him from prison on 19 March 2015.

In 2016, Bashir Suleymanli founded the Institute for Civil Rights (ICR). The mandate of the Institute was to provide voluntary legal assistance and legal education to citizens in Azerbaijan and focus its activities on promoting the rule of law, free and fair elections, transparency, and good governance. Besides his organisational activities, Bashir also participated in several initiatives aimed at developing civil society and has actively defended political prisoners as a human rights defender.

On 20 February 2024, Bashir Suleymanli, along with other colleagues, founded the COP29 Justice for Environment Initiative.[3] The initiative’s main goals were the release of political prisoners, restoration of civil society space, and the establishment of climate justice in the lead-up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), hosted by Azerbaijan.