The preliminary investigation into the criminal case involving several more political refugees living abroad – Gurban Mammadov, Tural Sadigli, and Orkhan Aghayev – has been completed.
The Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office has announced that starting from August 20, their lawyers will be granted access to the case materials.
The individuals involved in the case in absentia have been informed that if they do not appear for the investigation, the case may be submitted to court, potentially resulting in a judgment in absentia or another final court decision.
Political refugee Orkhan Aghayev, who resides in Germany, has been charged under Articles 220.2 (calls to actively disobey lawful demands of state officials and to commit mass riots or violence against citizens) and 281.2 (repeated public calls against the state) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.
Orkhan Aghayev told Meydan TV that the charges against him are groundless:
“In 2020, the Azerbaijani authorities issued a search warrant for me through Interpol, but it was ineffective. Even now, they don’t stop—they are trying to prevent us from traveling to Europe and other countries. Earlier this year, they even appealed to the German government to extradite me. All of the charges brought by the Azerbaijani government are fabricated. How can I organize a coup in Azerbaijan while living in Germany? I consider all the accusations against me by the Azerbaijani government to be baseless.”
Qurban Mammadov, the head of the “Azerifreedom” online channel, is also charged with terrorism and several other offenses. Before going into exile, he had been arrested multiple times in Azerbaijan on various charges. Human rights organizations have recognized him as a political prisoner.
Qurban Mammadov also considers the charges against him unfounded and wants to review the case materials. Living in the UK since 2018, Mammadov has sent a letter to Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev requesting that the documents be sent to his email:
“I ask that the case materials against me be sent to my email so that I can review them. Due to the persecution by the Azerbaijani government and real threats to my life from the Heydarist regime, I left Azerbaijan on April 1, 2018, and settled in the United Kingdom, where I now live with permanent political residency. I am ready to answer any questions from the prosecution via videoconference and to participate in confrontations and the examination of evidence,” Mammadov wrote in his letter.
Another accused individual is Tural Sadigli, head of the “Azad Soz” channel. He faces charges under several articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, including Article 178.3.1 for fraud committed in large amounts and as part of a group; Article 220.2 for making calls to disobey lawful demands and to incite mass riots or violence; Article 281.2 for repeated public calls against the state; and Article 320.1 for forgery of official documents.
Tural Sadigli has not yet commented on the matter.
Since March 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan has begun summoning several individuals who emigrated from the country to appear before the Investigation Department. These include bloggers, businessmen, and heads of online channels. Various charges have been brought against them, and in some cases, judgments in absentia have already been issued.
Gabil Mammadov, living in Germany, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Imameddin Alimanov to 7 years. Both trials were held without their presence, and the verdicts were delivered in absentia.
Others being prosecuted in absentia include Ilgar Hajiyev, former head of the “Akkord” company, which once won many government tenders in Azerbaijan, and Elshad Abdullayev, the former rector of the now-defunct Azerbaijan International University (ABU), among others.
