EMIN IBRAHIMOV

Former diplomat imprisoned for protesting human rights violations and criticizing the government. 

About Emin Ibrahimov

Emin Ibrahimov, a critic of the Azerbaijani government, has been imprisoned in Azerbaijan since 22 July 2024.  

Ibrahimov was born in 1981 in Sumgayit, Azerbaijan. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of International Relations of Baku State University in 2002, and then pursued a master’s degree at Ankara University in Turkeyand Dalarna University in Sweden. In 2007, he passed the civil service exam and began working as an attaché at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2009, he completed a senior course at the NATO Defense College. 

From 2012 to 2016, Ibrahimov held the position of head of the secretariat at the Embassy of Azerbaijan, USA, and from 2016 and 2019, he served as the chargé d’affaires at Azerbaijan’s mission in Uruguay.  

On 3 March 2020, after thirteen years of diplomatic service, Ibrahimov resigned in protest against human rights violations and election fraud in Azerbaijan. In his resignation letter, he explained his reasons for this decision:  

“Working as a diplomat in the context of the collapse of the electoral system in Azerbaijan, the erosion of the foundations of political legitimacy, and the systemic suppression of freedoms is creating increasingly severe moral dilemmas. The recent parliamentary ‘elections’ were the final straw for me. Considering these, I am compelled to request that you issue an order for my removal from diplomatic service.”  

After his resignation, Emin Ibrahimov became involved in public activities, using his social media accounts to criticise the Azerbaijani government’s pro-Russian policies and express his opposition to human rights violations in the country. 

On 19 September 2023, Ibrahimov was arrested a day after posting about recent military operations in Karabakh. The Department for Non-Criminal Prosecution of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan prepared materials about him and submitted them to court the following day. It was alleged that Ibrahimov had shared thoughts supporting terrorism.  

Emin Ibrahimov claimed that the charges were fabricated. He believed that Russia had an interest in the operations in Karabakh, which he had written about in his final Facebook posts. He believes that he was being punished for this. 

Nevertheless, the Yasamal District Court in Baku sentenced Ibrahimov to thirty days of administrative detention under Article 388-1.1.1 of Azerbaijan’s Code of Administrative Offenses (posting prohibited information online).

Emin Ibrahimov<br />
A former Azerbaijani diplomat imprisoned for protesting human rights violations and criticizing the government.<br />

A complaint about his thirty-day detention was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. 

Not long after his release, Ibrahimov was detained again on 22 July 2024, and this time, a criminal case was opened against him. He was charged under Article 126.2.4 (intentional infliction of serious harm to health with hooligan motives) and Article 221.1 (hooliganism) of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code. 

It was alleged that Emin Ibrahimov had injured a person named Kamal Shukurov with a knife near the Khalglar Dostlughu metro station. 

The former diplomat denied the charges, claiming they were fabricated and that the incident had been staged. At the court where the decision was made, he stated, “I am a victim of the dictatorship regime”. 

Ibrahimov explained that he had been heading to an apartment near the metro station on 22 July 2024 due to repairs in his apartment, when someone suddenly attacked him, attempting to tear his clothes. Police officers in plain clothes appeared shortly after and arrested Ibrahimov. 

Ibrahimov added that after being detained, he was taken to the 24th Police Department of Nizami district, where he was subjected to torture, electric shocks and even threatened with rape. The demand was to obtain the password to his phone. 

The investigation into Ibrahimov’s case continues at the Police Department of Nizami district.

Resources about Emin Ibrahimov

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Emin Ibrahimov A former Azerbaijani diplomat imprisoned for protesting human rights violations and criticizing the government.
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