Ramil Babayev
Project Coordinator at the Institute of Democratic Initiatives (IDI); animal rights advocate; detained on spurious charges.
About Ramil Babayev
Ramil Babayev, born on 29 June 1997, is a vegan and animal rights activist, known for protesting the treatment of dogs at the Toplan Care for Homeless Dogs Center.
Before his arrest in 2024, he worked as a Project Coordinator at the Institute of Democratic Initiatives (IDI). His work and activism subjected him to the constant danger of state-led persecution. Since November 2023, pro-government media have been running a smear campaign against him, calling him a ‘leader of the fifth column of the Western powers.’1
Case description
On 6 March 2024, during a police raid on the shared offices of Toplum TV and IDI, police arrested Babayev on charges of conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling (Criminal Code Article 206.3.2). The arrest forced him to stop working on his PhD at the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences.
On 8 March 2024, the Khatai District Court of Baku remanded Babayev to four months of pre-trial detention. He was transferred to Baku Pre-Trial Detention Facility №1. In the following months, his pre-trial detention was prolonged several times.2,3
Following the police raid, authorities reportedly searched his apartment without a warrant and claimed to have found up to 2,700 euros in his flat. Babayev consistently denied all charges and raised legitimate concerns about the planting of evidence.
On 17 January 2025, authorities amended the indictment and added new charges, including illegal entrepreneurship, large-scale money laundering, tax evasion, hiring workers without a labour contract, and smuggling by an organised group.4
Babayev endured police brutality while in custody and faced humiliation and mistreatment upon his court appearance. The court dismissed the investigation into the alleged ill-treatment.
Babayev suffers from a pre-existing condition, as he is prone to periodic seizures and requires urgent medical care. The lack of appropriate medical services in detention puts his health at risk of deterioration. To protest his arrest, while in police custody, Babayev went on a hunger strike that further endangered his condition. He suffered from low blood pressure problems and was reportedly forced to eat.5
On 2 April 2025, the Baku Serious Crimes Court started a trial into the case of seven arrested civil society and media representatives, including Ramil Babayev.6
As of January 2026, his trial is ongoing.7
References
- https://idi-aze.org/files/pdf/2025-03-09/qUboHYXOzbSI4l3TWlneDtoN3pzsYfe8qvjbR1tZ.pdf
- https://mikroskopmedia.com/en/2024/03/08/azerbaijan-government-launches-crackdown-on-toplum-tv-and-detains-journalists/
- https://www.irfs.org/news-feed/court-prolongs-arrest-term-of-activist-ramil-babayev/
- https://idi-aze.org/files/pdf/2025-03-09/qUboHYXOzbSI4l3TWlneDtoN3pzsYfe8qvjbR1tZ.pdf
- https://iphronline.org/articles/crackdown-on-free-expression-escalates-international-organisations-denounce-latest-wave-of-arrests-in-azerbaijan/
- https://www.meydan.tv/en/article/trial-of-journalists-accused-in-the-toplum-tv-case-begins/
- https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/71765#:~:text=Accused%20Toplum%20TV%20employee%20Mushvig,to%20clear%20it%20through%20customs.
Resources about Ramil Babayev
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