Mirvari Gahramanli Summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office

Another NGO leader has been summoned for investigation as part of the ongoing "NGO Case" at the Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor's Office. According to APA, Mirvari Gahramanli, the chairperson of the Oil Workers' Rights Protection Organization, has been invited to the prosecutor’s office for questioning. She declined to comment on the news.

Several criminal cases have been initiated at the General Prosecutor's Office's Investigation Department concerning various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Azerbaijan, with a preliminary investigation underway. The case involves violations under Articles 192.2.2, 213.1, 308.2, and other provisions of the Criminal Code. The investigation is examining legal violations discovered in the activities of several local NGOs, their leaders, as well as branches and representative offices of foreign NGOs in Azerbaijan.

On March 24, it was reported that Mehriban Rahimli, a former advisor for Azerbaijan at the U.S. German Marshall Fund (GMF), was placed under police supervision in connection with the "NGO Case." Hafiz Hasanov, the head of the "Law and Development" Public Union, has also been recognized as a defendant in the criminal case and placed under house arrest by the Binagadi District Court.

On March 14, Mammad Alpay (Mammadzadeh), the executive director of the Election Monitoring Alliance, and Bashir Suleymanli, the head of the Citizen Rights Institute, were arrested under the same case. The Binagadi District Court ruled for their pretrial detention for three months and 28 days. This ruling was upheld by the Baku Court of Appeal on March 19.

Subhan Hasanli, the head of the Social Rights Center, has been charged with similar offenses but is reportedly evading the investigation. A search warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The civil society activists are facing charges under Article 193-1.3.2 (legalization of a large amount of property obtained through criminal means), Article 308.2 (abuse of power causing severe consequences), and Article 313 (official forgery) of the Criminal Code. These charges carry potential prison sentences of up to 12 years.

In total, approximately 50 individuals have been involved in the investigation, including employees of donor organizations’ local offices in Azerbaijan. Some pro-government NGO leaders are also reportedly under investigation.

Among those questioned at the prosecutor’s office is Sahib Mammadov, chairman of the League for the Protection of Citizens’ Labor Rights. While confirming his interrogation, he declined to disclose his status in the investigation, citing investigative confidentiality.

Additionally, Gunel Safarova, deputy head of the Child Protection Department at the Ministry of Science and Education, was interrogated for nearly five hours last week.

This ongoing case is reminiscent of events in the summer of 2014, when a criminal case against NGOs led to the arrest of several prominent civil society leaders. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that Azerbaijan had violated Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of restricting rights and freedoms for ulterior motives) in these cases. Following those arrests, significant amendments were made to Azerbaijan’s NGO legislation, which international organizations criticized as restrictive to civil society activities.