FAMIL KHALILOV
Civic activist with cerebral palsy, currently imprisoned after being deported from Sweden, known for his criticism of the government.
About Famil Khalilov
Famil Khalilov, born on 14 July 1990 in Shirvan city, Azerbaijan, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after a birth injury and has been classified as permanently disabled since 1993. Both his arms are paralysed, and he typically keeps his hands tied behind his back to maintain balance.
Khalilov married in 2011 and emigrated to Sweden in 2015. He has three young children, one born in Azerbaijan and two in Sweden. Despite efforts to obtain Swedish residency, his application was rejected, and on 25 July 2023, he was deported to Azerbaijan.
Famil Khalilov is an outspoken critic of the Azerbaijani government, particularly through videos and posts on his social media accounts. Due to his paralysis, he uses his feet to operate a computer, which his wife demonstrated with video evidence.
Khalilov was detained on 2 May 2024 and arrested two days later under Article 234.4.3 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, which deals with the acquisition, transportation, and storage of large amounts of drugs for the purpose of sale, and carries a potential sentence of five to twelve years.
The authorities claim that police received information that Khalilov was involved in drug trafficking, and during a search of his home in Binagadi district, drugs were allegedly found in a tissue inside a drawer.
Khalilov has consistently denied any involvement with drugs, and asserts that the charges are false. Moreover, he claims that, like other political and social activists, he has been framed with drug-related accusations as punishment for his critical posts on social media.
His wife, Kichikkhanim Khalilova, also stated that their rented home in Sulutepe, Baku, never had drugs. She believes they were planted by the police: “We never even had tissues in that colour in the house. The police brought it, placed it, and then took it. Later, at the police station, they asked me why I allowed my husband to write such things online. I responded that Famil never said anything untrue.”
Kichikkhanim Khalilova recounted how her husband was detained: “I was helping Famil bathe when someone knocked on the door, which our youngest daughter opened. She came to get me, saying that someone had arrived. I went out and saw that they were police officers. I got Famil out of the bathroom, and when we came back, the house was filled with men dressed in black. Some had already gone upstairs.”

She also emphasised that her husband cannot eat or attend to basic needs without assistance. In the detention centre, Khalilov’s situation is grave. Although some other prisoners help him, many have grown tired and stopped assisting him. As a result, he eats and drinks very little to avoid frequent visits to the bathroom.
In protest against his imprisonment, Khalilov went on a three-day hunger strike in May and resumed his strike on 15 August 2024.
He is currently being held in Baku Detention Center, and the case will soon be sent to the Baku Court on Grave Crimes for trial.
Famil Khalilov is not the only activist to be arrested on drug charges after being deported from a country where they sought political asylum. Before his arrest, five other political and social activists – Jafar Mirzayev, Punhan Karimli, Malik Rzayev, Mutallim Orujov and Samir Ashurov – were similarly detained shortly after being deported from Germany. All five are currently serving prison sentences and claim their arrests were retaliatory actions for protesting against human rights violations and for critical posts on social media.
On August 9, a preliminary hearing on Khalilov’s case began in the Baku Court on Grave Crimes.
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