TOFIG YAGUBLU

About Tofig Yagublu

Tofig Yagublu was born on 6 February 1961 in the Bolnisi district, Georgia. He graduated from the Azerbaijan State University of Economics and joined the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party after its establishment in 1989. From 1992 to 1993, Yagublu served as the deputy head of the Binagadi District Executive Power. He joined the Musavat Party in 1992 and served as its deputy chairman from 2010 to 2018. He has also been a member of the Coordination Centre of the National Council of Democratic Forces since its formation in 2013.

In 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly organizing mass protests. Regarding this episode, in February 2016, the European Court of Human Rights found violations of Articles 5 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights as of 4 November 1950, ruling that Yagublu’s detention was unlawful as it lacked a “reasonable suspicion” of a crime and was not justified by sufficient reasons. He was later pardoned.

In 2019, Yagublu was placed under administrative arrest for 30 days after an opposition rally in Baku. Regarding this case, on November 14, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found again that the government had violated his rights to peaceful assembly and a fair trial during an October 2019 protest. The court ordered Azerbaijan to pay him compensation.

In 2020, Yagublu was arrested again on hooliganism charges following a car accident, for which he was eventually given a suspended sentence.

He has repeatedly alleged torture and ill-treatment by authorities, most notably in December 2021 when he was found with severe bruises after being detained at a protest. The prosecutor’s office dismissed his complaint, concluding he had inflicted the injuries on himself.

Case description

Most recently, Yagublu was arrested on 14 December 2023 in central Baku and charged with fraud and document forgery. The charges stemmed from a police claim of finding a large amount of cash during a search of his home, which his family denied. He was ordered into four months of pre-trial detention, which was subsequently extended until 1 July 2024.

The trial against him began on 11 June 2024, at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. On 10 March 2025, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. The Baku Court of Appeal upheld this sentence on 20 May 2025.

Following his conviction, the 65-year-old Yagublu began a hunger strike on 1 April 2025 to protest his sentence. Over the following weeks, his health, already compromised, severely deteriorated. His family and lawyers repeatedly raised concerns and requested a transfer to a civilian clinic, but these motions were denied.

His family doctor, who was eventually granted access, described his condition as moderate but noted a significant decline, including insomnia, dizziness, and slurred speech. Despite his worsening condition and reports of hallucinations and memory lapses, his motion for house arrest was refused. On 10 May 2025, after 40 days, Yagublu ended his hunger strike at the urging of his family.