Leftist Azeri Journalist and Activist Mammadli Tortured and Jailed

In Azerbaijan, the Aliyev regime tortured and jailed Ahmet Mammadli, who is a leftist journalist, unionist, and human rights activist, on charges of “intentional injury” on May 7.

Mammadli had been under open and intense pressure for a long time. Mammadli’s family draws attention to the danger of being held in prison for a long time under the pretext of being tried in pretrial detention, as is the case with many dissidents, and reminds that Mammadli’s close comrade Afiaddin Mammadov was recently sentenced to 8 years in prison. The Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan employs tactics such as portraying opposition members as criminals for drug, extortion, and injury, thus both slandering and silencing their voices. Mammadli was also arrested on charges of “intentional injury.”

The decision to continue the detention of opposition leader Tofig Yagublu, who was sentenced to 9 years in prison and has been on hunger strike since April 1, was made at the hearing on May 6. It is known that Tofig Yagublu has been unable to even drink water recently. It is unclear whether Tofig Yagublu will survive until the next hearing on May 20. The government, which is extremely disturbed by Yagublu being on the public agenda, detained journalists Ahmed Mammadli and Ülviyye Ali late at night on May 6 after they went to the courthouse to follow Yagublu's hearing.

Ülviyye Ali, one of the last independent journalists in Azerbaijan who had not been arrested, was detained by the police under torture in the evening. The police searched Ülviyye Ali's house, severely damaging the belongings in the house and placing 6000 Manat in the house. This money was used against the journalist in court as evidence of smuggling. In the context of the pressures on the media that have been ongoing for about 2 years in Azerbaijan, journalists from independent media organizations such as Abzas Media, Meydan TV and Toplum TV were previously arrested on the same pretext. Ülviyye Ali was one of the important journalists who documented many actions and rights violations in Azerbaijan. The court ruled that Ülviyye Ali be held in pretrial detention for 2 months.

On the same day, another leftist activist and journalist, Ahmet Mammadli, was also detained under torture. Ahmet Mammadli has been an opposition figure who has been fighting for years in Azerbaijan, first with the student movement and then with workers' rights, and who became the general chairman of the D-18 party. He had also had his share of the increasing pressure in Azerbaijan for years, with bans on traveling abroad and detentions. The Aliyev regime, which has vowed not to leave any light in the country, is now trying Ahmet Mammadli for a serious crime. The crime of "intentional injury" was alleged regarding Mammadli, who was detained illegally by the police. It is alleged that Mammadli stabbed a person in the stomach because of a problem they had in a taxi. In addition, Ahmet Mammadli was tortured with electric shocks because they wanted to get his phone password, and was not given food for 3 days, his lawyer and family announced.

A 4-month detention decision was made for Ahmet Mammadli in court. This practice is a kind of psychological torture of the Aliyev regime. During the months of detention, the oppositionists who are brought to court have their trials postponed and are held without an indictment for months or even years.

Previously, Afiaddin Mammadov, one of the left leaders of the D-18 party, was also arrested with Ahmet Mammadli on charges of “stabbing.” After a similarly long detention since 2023, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison by court order. At the same time, the leading members of the "Work Table" union, which Ahmet Mammadli and Afiaddin Mammadov founded together, were also sentenced to 3 years in prison, along with Afiaddin Mammadov. The Work Table union organized motorcycle couriers in Azerbaijan and organized strikes. After this incident, the workers who were members of the union had detained on false pretexts. During the Karabakh war, Mammadov and Mammadli were kidnapped, detained, and imprisoned for opposing the Azerbaijani government's expulsion of the Armenian people from the region and chauvinist war policies.

Azerbaijan, which has returned to the Aliyev dynasty, can only govern with chauvinism and oppression. In the impoverished country where corruption is at its peak, the pressure on the opposition has increased significantly, especially since the Karabakh war in 2020. There are more than 350 political prisoners in the country. The regime, which has been conducting a serious witch hunt, especially against the press, in the last two years, has raided many independent media institutions and arrested many journalists and activists. At the same time, Aliyev, who has strengthened his relations with Erdoğan after the war, is also turning the country into a profiteering area for AKP's pro-government companies.