Zamin Zakiyev
Social worker; founder and programme manager of the ‘Ubuntu Social Work Association’; imprisoned under bogus charges
About Zamin Zakiyev
Zamin Zakiyev, also known as Zamin Zaki, obtained his degree in Social Work from Azerbaijan University. He was an active student in the Faculty of Social Work, and in December 2017, he was a member of the winning Apollon team in an intellectual ‘Brain-ring’ championship.
In September 2019, he applied his academic focus by engaging in community work as a Programme Assistant for the Baku IdeaLab Social Project and co-presenting programmes such as ‘Data Journalism’ and ‘Finding Her Voice’ to students. As a board member of the Azerbaijan Social Work Union, he also helped teach new students. He co-taught a class entitled ‘Why Social Work?’ to first-year students in his department.[1]
In 2022, Zakiyev founded the ‘Ubuntu Social Work Association’. The Association aimed to improve social work education in Azerbaijan by training both new and current social workers, organising free webinars with experts from around the world, and leading efforts to create and translate inclusive social work reading materials into Azerbaijani.
Case description
On 9 April 2025, in a wave of arrests directly related to the reopening of a criminal investigation from 2014 that had previously focused on international donors and their grantees, the investigative authorities arrested Zamin Zakiyev and placed him in pre-trial detention.1,2,3,4
Following the arrest, authorities charged Zakiyev under Criminal Code Article 193-1.3.2 (legalisation of criminally obtained property, or money laundering in a significant amount), Article 308.2 (abuse of power causing grave consequences), and Article 313 (official forgery or forgery by an official). The court remanded him to pre-trial detention, which was prolonged several times.2
During a pre-trial hearing on 29 October 2025, his defence attorney moved to terminate the proceedings, arguing that the allegation that her client “laundered 57,000 AZN” was unsupported by evidence, but the court rejected this motion. The case has been sent to trial on the merits, with the first hearing scheduled for 12 November 2025.3
Reports indicate that Zakiyev’s health has deteriorated due to the conditions of his detention. His family stated that his pre-existing rheumatism has resurfaced because of the damp and poorly maintained cell, causing pain and stiffness in his legs. He also suffers from eye pain, headaches, and increased blood pressure.4
References
- https://www.au.edu.az/en/news/sosial-is-telebeleri-niye-sosial-is-movzusunda-muhazire-dinleyibler
- https://www.instituteforhumanrights.org/post/azerbaijan-extends-detention-for-ngo-leaders-amidst-renewed-ngo-case-crackdown
- https://www.instituteforhumanrights.org/post/trial-of-activist-zamin-zaki-begins
- https://humanrightsaz.com/en/health-of-imprisoned-social-worker-zamin-zaki-deteriorates-in-custody/
Resources about Zamin Zakiyev
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