ILHAMIZ GULIYEV
Civic activist and former investigation associate, currently imprisoned after criticizing government abuse of activists in an anonymous interview.
About Ilhamiz Guliyev
Ilhamiz Guliyev was born on 19 September 1982 in the Aghdam district of Azerbaijan. He holds a degree in Iranian studies from the Faculty of Oriental Studies of Baku State University, and later pursued a master’s degree in philology, specialising in Persian literature.
Guliyev has been in detention since 4 December 2023 under Article 234.4.3 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, which deals with the acquisition, transportation, and storage of drugs in large amounts with a view to sell.
Guliyev denies the charges, claiming he is being punished for an anonymous interview he gave to Abzas Media in September 2023, in which he disclosed how political activists are often framed with drug charges and how undocumented drugs are used by the police for such purposes. He says that he was well-informed on this topic due to his experience of working with various investigative bodies. Furthermore, he claims that law enforcement agencies had identified him as the source of the interview and subsequently framed him with drug possession.
Guliyev was initially detained on 5 October 2023, shortly after the publication of the interview on 27 September. He was charged with minor hooliganism and disobeying police orders, resulting in a thirty-day administrative detention. During his arrest, Guliyev claims that an officer referred to as “Chief” told him, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”, indicating that his arrest was connected to the interview.
Guliyev was released on 4 November. However, his phone was not returned to him, despite attempts to retrieve it with the help of his lawyer. He later discovered that it had been used to access his social media accounts.
On 25 November, Guliyev was prevented from leaving Azerbaijan for Georgia, where he was informed of a travel ban.
Aware that he was being watched and anticipating a possible framing with drugs, Guliyev visited a drug rehabilitation centre and underwent testing to prove he had no drug addiction. He also signed a contract with lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova to be represented by her.
However, on 4 December 2023, Guliyev was detained upon leaving his apartment and taken to the 28th Police Department in Yasamal district, where he was arrested on drug-related charges.
During his court testimony, Guliyev stated that he was subjected to violence both during his arrest and at the 28th Police Department. He claimed he was physically and psychologically tortured into confessing that the drugs presented to him were his.
Guliyev’s knowledge of drug-related framing comes from his long career in investigative work. Later, he worked as an informal assistant investigator and briefly served as the assistant to the head of the SCC Investigation Department. He was an informal employee of the SCC Investigation Department from 2001 to 2013 and an informal assistant investigator and chief assistant investigator in the Yasamal, Narimanov, Binagadi, and Nasimi district police departments in Baku from February 2014 to January 2020 and from January to October 2023.
To date, Ilhamiz Guliyev’s trial is ongoing at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. If convicted, he faces a sentence of five to twelve years.
Resources about Ilhamiz Guliyev
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