Tag: social media

Social media activist known for his vocal criticism of the Azerbaijani government, detained and placed in pre-trial custody

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Dayanat Chalabilyev was detained on December 22. Two days later, the Khatai District Court ordered his arrest. In a controversial procedural move, the trial was presided over by Judge Rafael Sadikhov, whose official judicial powers had reportedly expired just days prior to the hearing.

Chalabilyev, an English language teacher by profession, faces charges of intentionally causing serious harm to health. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence ranging from 6 to 11 years.

Chalabilyev has pleaded not guilty, maintaining that the charges are a direct retaliation for his online activism. Only 24 hours before his arrest, he posted a scathing critique of the administration on Facebook, stating:

“The Aliyev family rule has not strengthened the country; it has weakened it. The state has been personalized, the people marginalized, and the future has been mortgaged.”

This arrest follows a pattern of digital repression in Azerbaijan, where social media posts often serve as the catalyst for criminal prosecution under unrelated penal codes.

A Pattern of Harassment

Chalabilyev previously served a 30-day administrative sentence on charges of “hooliganism” and “disobeying police orders”—common charges often leveled against civil rights defenders and digital activists in Azerbaijan to silence dissent.

In Azerbaijan, authorities often resort to the “Defamation” Trap: While Azerbaijan has moved toward decriminalizing libel in some spheres, authorities frequently use “hooliganism” or “drug possession” charges to arrest individuals whose primary “offense” is a viral Facebook post or a critical YouTube comment.

activist receives conditional sentence

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Civic activist Famil Khalilov has been handed a conditional sentence of 3 years with a 2-year probation period. Khalilov was arrested on May 2, 2024, on spurious drug charges. He was transferred under house arrest in December 2024. The activist was accused of drug charges – possession of a large amount of drugs with the intent to sell. Police claimed they confiscated 13 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket during his arrest. The activist refuted the allegations at the time, saying drugs were planted on him during his arrest. On February 6, 2025, when the verdict was being read, the activist was found guilty under drug possession charges, except “without the intent to sell.”

 Khalilov was deported from Sweden in 2023 after unsuccessfully seeking asylum there.

Paralyzed in both arms, Khalilov lived with his wife and three children. The activist was vocal on social media platforms, often criticizing the authorities and calling for protests.  

Drug possession charges are commonly used to target political and civic activists in Azerbaijan. Authorities in Azerbaijan have also been closely monitoring social media platforms, taking various measures against citizens using the platforms to express their criticism against the state. While administrative detentions, fines, or prophylactic “conversations” at police stations are standard measures, long-term arrests are also common. 

While it is difficult to estimate an exact number of politically motivated drug-related charges handed down for online criticism, some of the well-known cases include that of Jabbar Savalan (2011) – a political activist who was arrested on drug charges after calling for protests on Facebook; Hilal Mammadov (2012) – journalist and editor-in-chief of the newspaper Tolishi Sado (charges against the journalist were later expanded to include treason and inciting ethnic hatred); Rashad Ramazanov (2013) – a blogger. There are many others. According to documentation by Azerbaijan Internet Watch, government critics targeted with drug charges include Elshan Teymurov (2020), Elmir Abbasov (2021), Sardar Asgarov (2021), Shahin Haciyev (2021), Razi Humbatov (2022), Mahir Azimov (2023), Ruslan Vahabov (2023), Zeka Miragayev (2023), Elvin Sadigov, Movsum Mammadov (2023). 

activist handed down jail sentence over online posts

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On January 28, 2025, the Baku Court for Serious Crimes sentenced Elshan Karimov to six years in prison.

The charges were based on his social media posts defending political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which authorities interpreted as incitement to overthrow the government. Karimov and his supporters assert that his arrest and sentencing are politically motivated, aiming to suppress dissent. 

The activist was detained in April 2024 in the village of Rustamli, Yevlakh region, while attending his father’s funeral. He was charged under Article 281.1 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, which pertains to public calls for the violent seizure of power. 

residents forced to remove posts under duress

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In Azerbaijan’s administrative district of Imishli (İmişli), scores of residents were detained, internet speed throttled, and, according to reports by local media, all entry and exit points to the town were placed under heavy control by internal troops dispatched to the area. This followed a protest in reaction to an accident reported on January 18, in which four schoolchildren were struck by a police car following a collision with a civilian car. 

Residents first noticed internet throttling following the accident.

In the follow-up reports by local media, several residents who filmed the protests and shared the video content on social media platforms were subject to pressure and intimidation. The content that was posted was forcibly removed. 

Qulu Mammadli, a member of the local branch of the opposition Popular Front Party, was summoned by the authorities on January 19. In an interview with OC Media, Mammadli said that after posting about the internal troops entering the town in the afternoon, he was forced to go in for questioning, and he was also forced to remove the video footage he shared on Facebook earlier that day. Other party members, including Sarvan Ahmadov, were also briefly detained, questioned and forced to remove social media posts, according to reporting by Meydan TV.

A member of the opposition Musavat party, Alikram Khurshidov, was handed a 10-day administrative detention over his social media posts about the accident.

The government of Azerbaijan has throttled internet access before and has deployed an arsenal of surveillance technology to keep tabs on its citizens. An annual report on internet freedoms by Freedom House ranked the country “not free” in its most recent country report.

bogus charges land one man in jail

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Hamza Mammadli, 33, was sentenced to six years on January 7, 2025, on spurious terrorism and calls against the state charges, the charges Mammadli denies.

Mammadli, a German citizen of Azerbaijani origin, received asylum in Germany in 2015 and German citizenship in 2022. He traveled to Azerbaijan in 2023 for his wedding and was arrested at the airport. 

Mammadli’s charges were linked to a botched assassination attempt against then-mayor of Ganja Elmar Valiyev in 2018 and what the prosecutor’s office alleged Mammadli wrote about the events on social media, specifically a comment Mammadli has written under a post by satirical online platform Hamam Times. During his defense, Mammadli said he had nothing to do with the person who was later arrested for assassinating the then-mayor.

Upon arriving in Azerbaijan in 2023, Mammadli was arrested at the airport, where he was informed there was an arrest warrant issued in 2018. 

The Azerbaijani government actively monitors social media platforms to track dissent and control the narrative surrounding its policies. This surveillance includes scrutinizing posts by activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. Authorities have been known to arrest individuals based on their online activities, especially when content is deemed critical of the government. 

The government’s concern over criticisms shared on social media stems from the platform’s ability to rapidly disseminate information and mobilize public opinion. In a country where traditional media is often state-controlled, social media serves as a crucial space for free expression and opposition discourse. Criticism on these platforms can challenge the government’s image, expose corruption, and inspire collective action, which the authorities perceive as threats to their control and stability.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the arrest of activists and journalists in Azerbaijan on charges such as smuggling or incitement, which many international observers view as attempts to suppress free speech and political opposition. 

ministry of education wants to censor teachers and academics

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According to local media reports, the ministry of education adopted a series of amendments to the “Rules of ethical behavior of educators” document on May 15. According to the changes, educators (as in all teachers and academics employed within the institutions under the Ministry of Education) must adhere to the principles of lawfulness, honest behavior, loyalty, cultural behavior, impartiality, and public trust.

The document, specifically addresses the educators behavior on the social media and while speaking with media platforms, calling on them to follow the rules set out by relevant institutions where they are employed when sharing content on these platforms. Specifically it calls on the educators to abstain from sharing audio and video content that would otherwise result in personal and institution’s reputational damage.

In the previous iteration of the document these warnings did not exist.

The amendments also warn educators to refrain from sharing content critical of state institutions and their directors. Commenting on the amendments the chief adviser of the Regional Education Department, Elshan Ammadov said, “such content [on corruption and poor conditions of educational establishments] spread by individual teachers and other employees of these institutions which has led to criticism in society and damaged the [public] image of [other] employees is wrong. Such content violates the principle of subordination. Instead, it would be approrpriate to share our best achievements in the field of education on social media platforms.”

hearing in the case of activist reveals, it was his social media posts that had him arrested after all

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Afiaddin Mammadov, the coordinator of Azerbaijan’s Alternative Confederation of Trade Unions, was sentenced to two months in pretrial detention in September 2023. Charged with deliberate infliction of bodily harm and armed hooliganism (based on a bogus accusation by an unidentified man claiming Mammadov stabbed him with a knife) originally, based on the hearing on November 15, in which the court extended Mammadov’s detention by an additional two months, turns out it was his outspoken criticism on social media platform Facebook that landed him behind hars. 

Based on the reporting from the hearing by journalist Ulviyya Ali, the judge said, “I have seen your Facebook profile. What have you written there about the “one-day” war?” Mammadov said he wrote nothing about it. The judge then persisted, “Why did you write that President Ilham Aliyev has resolved the 30-year-old problem?” Mammadov after hearing this question told the judge, that he had criticized the president and his decisions a lot, and that he was certain the reason behind his arrest, was these previously written posts and comments on the social media platform and not him stabbing someone.  

Mammadov repeated over and over again that he committed no crime. And that no one, should be put on trial, for wanting peace.

This is not the first time an activist is accused of a crime he did not commit in Azerbaijan. The country has a long-running history of putting its critics behind bars, handing administrative fines, and using various tools of intimidation to silence its state’s critics. 

Mammadov is among several activists targeted since September. 

yet another activist detained over social media posts [Updated January 17, 2024]

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[Update] On January 17, Ruslan Vahabov [see the case below] was sentenced to 4 years behind bars on drug possession charges. 

[Update] Authorities continued to target civic activists critical of the state during October. Below is a compilation of some the cases documented by AIW. 

October 27 – Tural Farzili was detained after a post on Facebook in which he questioned the arrest of members of the working group representing the rights of workers. Farzili was released after questioning. 

October 24 – Shahin Amanov was questioned at the police over a spot on Facebook where he criticized the local administrative office. He was also forced to delete all the posts. 

October 23 – Zeka Miragayev was arrested over social media post critical of the Ministry of the Interior. 

October 19 – Ilkin Calilov was questioned, beaten and forced to give a video statement under duress after leaving a comment on a post by Meydan TV on Facebook. In an interview with Abzas Media, Calilov recounted how at the station he was asked to remove the comment he left, which he did. Calilov also told Abzas Media that he was told never to leave any more comments. 

October 18 – Mohyaddin Orucov was detained, and sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention. 

October 16 – Emin Akhundov arrested over hooliganism and resisting police charges, charges Akhundov refutes. The activist is an active critic of the state, online. 

Ruslan Vahabov,  was arrested on drug trafficking charges on September 22. His name is the latest in a series of arrests targeting civic activists over their criticism of the state, online. According to reporting by Meydan TV, at least nine activists have been targeted so far. Many were reprimanded for their anti-war commentary. 

In addition to making anti-war statements, Vahabov, is a representative of the Talysh ethnic group, and throughout his activism, he called to respect the group’s national and cultural rights. In a statement issued by the Public Council of Talyshs of Azerbaijan (PCTA), the group said, “Ruslan Vahabov is a public activist. He criticized the activities of certain institutions of the Azerbaijani government on social networks. At the same time, as a representative of the Talysh ethnic group, he advocated ensuring the constitutional national and cultural rights of his people. For public activity, he was previously subjected to verbal warnings from the police.”

On the social media platform Facebook, Vahabov shared anti-war sentiments. A day before his arrest, on September 21, Vahabov wrote, “What did we gain from the 24 hours and 43 minutes?” referring to the military operation that was launched by the government of Azerbaijan on September 19.

Azerbaijan temporarily suspends access to TikTok [updated October 31, 2023]

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[Update] Access to TikTok was restored as of October 31, according to reports. The access was restored together with a call from the Cyber Security Service asking users to comply with the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the rules and conditions set by social network administrators when sharing on social networks. 

On September 19, following reports that access to social media platform TikTok was unavailable, the Cyber Security Service under the  Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies confirmed to BBC Azerbaijan service, that TikTok was suspended as a result of an “anti-terrorist operation” in Karabakh. 

Previously authorities blocked access to the platform in September 2022. Then, the State Security Service said the measure was necessary in order to contain disinformation during the military offensive on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia on September 14, 2022. 

Access to the Google Play store and Apple Appstore was also reportedly blocked.

Separately, at least two anti-war activists, Amrah Tahmazov and Javid Amhadov were called in for questioning by the State Security Service, over their social media posts reported OC Media.

Meanwhile, the State Agency for Media Development warned journalists and media platforms to refrain from sharing unverified information about the start of what the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense referred to as “local anti-terrorist measures,” which Azerbaijan launched on September 19.

The measures were taken following a mine explosion that killed 14 Azerbaijani citizens.

The last time the country imposed country-wide internet throttling, was in 2020 during the 44-day war.

In a separate appeal, the General Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement describing the rules of reporting on anti-terrorism operations:

“According to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Combating Terrorism”, information about terrorist acts is provided to the public in the form and volume determined by the head of the operational headquarters or the representative responsible for public relations of the operational headquarters.

The following information is prohibited from distribution:

  • the tactics and technical methods of conducting anti-terrorist operations; 
  • the information that endangers the life and health of people in the zone of anti-terrorist operations or outside the limits of this zone and hinders the conduct of anti-terrorist operations;
  • information that justifies terrorism or serves to promote it;
  • information about the persons participating in the anti-terrorist operations, as well as those who help in carrying out these operations.

Placing prohibited information on the Internet is considered an administrative offense (Article 388-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and anyone sharing this information is subject to an administrative fine ranging from 500AZN to 2000AZN as well as an administrative arrest for up to 1 month.”

activist taken from his home after a social media post

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Activist Latif Mammadov was reportedly taken from his home, after posting on social media a critical post, about President Ilham Aliyev’s comments on recent protests in the village of Soyudlu. 

Mammadov is the third civic activist to be detained/questioned by law enforcement over online commentary about the village protests. 

On June 22, political activist and former political prisoner Giyas Ibrahimov was arrested and sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention on bogus charges of resisting police. On June 24, new charges were leveled against the activist, accusing Ibrahimov of spreading prohibited information on the Internet (Article 388.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The former was handed down to the activist after Ibrahimov voiced criticism against the state over its mishandling of popular unrest in one of the villages in western Azerbaijan. The latter is related to the former accusation, punishing Ibrahimov over his social media post.  

On June 21, police arrested another activist and board member of the opposition NIDA Youth Movement, Elmir Abbasov. He was sentenced to 20 days in administrative detention for disobeying police. The movement said, the charges leveled against Abbasov were bogus, and the real reason behind the activist’s arrest was his Facebook post about the protests and the state’s violent response to the residents of the village. Abbasov was released on July 11. 

In recent years, scores of activists, rights defenders, and journalists have been called into questioning, detained or sentenced, or held accountable over activity on social media platforms.