29/04/2026 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The General Rapporteur for political prisoners of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC), made the following statement on the second anniversary of Anar Mammadli’s detention in Azerbaijan:
“Today marks exactly two years since Anar Mammadli, a prominent Azerbaijani human rights defender and election monitor, winner of the 2014 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, was detained. He is facing multiple charges believed to be in retaliation for his civic participation, independent election monitoring and co-operation with international organisations.
In the past, the European Court of Human Rights held that Mr Mammadli had been prosecuted only to silence and punish him as a civil society activist for his election monitoring activities. The current prosecution follows similar patterns and raises serious questions about Azerbaijan’s compliance with its international obligations.
Mr Mammadli’s detention must also be viewed within a broader context of increasing restrictions on civil society, independent media and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. The use of criminal law in such circumstances risks further undermining the rule of law and the effective protection of fundamental freedoms.
I call on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release Mr Mammadli and promptly review the charges against him, in line with Azerbaijan’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.”