Azerbaijan: political prisoner placed in solitary confinement after protest in Washington

Azerbaijani protest in Washington

During Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Washington, a group of exiled Azerbaijani activists — including the son of recognised political prisoner Tofig Yagublu — attempted to stage a protest outside the Waldorf Astoria hotel, calling for the release of political prisoners.

Videos circulated on social media appear to show men in suits using physical force against the protesters.

Participants in the demonstration claim the men were members of the president’s security detail, while Azerbaijani officials said the intervention was aimed at preventing a provocation that posed a security risk.

Following the incident, the co-chairs of the Azerbaijan Caucus in the US Congress, Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, and Robert Aderholt, a Republican from Alabama, issued a statement on 25 February saying they were “seriously concerned” by what had happened. They stressed that the right to peaceful protest is protected under the US Constitution and called for a “full investigation”.

On the same day, it emerged that Tofig Yagublu, a member of the opposition Musavat party and the National Council, had been placed in solitary confinement in a correctional facility in Azerbaijan.

Yagublu’s daughter, Nigar Hazi, said the decision was politically motivated.

“The order to place him in solitary confinement came directly from Ilham Aliyev. This happened after my brother, Rahim Yagublu, took part in a protest in Washington and demanded freedom for Tofig Yagublu and all political prisoners.

“This is Ilham Aliyev’s revenge against Tofig Yagublu — and not only against him, but a demonstration of biased treatment towards all political prisoners.”

The incident took place while Ilham Aliyev was in Washington to attend the inaugural meeting of a new international platform, the Board of Peace, launched by Donald Trump. The initiative has attracted broad international media attention, particularly over its proposed Gaza mandate and membership criteria. This increased scrutiny of Aliyev’s visit and made the protest outside the hotel more visible.

Confirmed facts

According to overlapping information from multiple sources, the basic timeline of the incident appears as follows.

• Against the backdrop of Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Washington, a small group of protesters — reportedly around seven or eight people — gathered outside the Waldorf Astoria hotel, chanting “Freedom for political prisoners” and “Freedom for Tofig Yagublu”, before a confrontation broke out.
• One of the participants, Rahim Yagublu — the US-based son of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu — along with another protester, Adil Amrakhli, said they were attacked and beaten.
• The Washington Post reported that at least four people were injured. According to the newspaper, paramedics arrived at the scene, although no one was hospitalised.
• On 20 February, the Azerbaijani embassy in the United States issued an official statement claiming that protesters had attempted to “forcibly breach a secured area” as the presidential motorcade approached and had engaged in insulting and aggressive actions towards the president’s vehicle. The statement said there had been “no choice but to intervene immediately”, adding that the hotel was located within a “security perimeter” established by the US Secret Service.
• On 25 February, Congressmen Cohen and Aderholt issued a statement calling for an investigation into the incident. In their assessment, the available information did not indicate that the protest had disrupted “normal activities”, and officials visiting the United States as guests were expected to respect freedom of speech and assembly.

The incident and the statements were widely covered in Azerbaijani-language media. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also reported that the Washington prosecutor’s office is reviewing the case.

What police and pro-government media say

According to The Washington Post, Washington police spokesman Tom Lynch confirmed that officers and members of the US Secret Service were present at the scene, but did not specify whether police directly intervened in the incident. The inquiry was referred to the State Department.

A Secret Service spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, said the agency’s role was limited to establishing security infrastructure and supporting protective operations, adding that the hotel was within the event’s designated security perimeter.

In Azerbaijan, several pro-government media outlets with large audiences described the incident as a “provocation”, claiming that protesters had attempted to force their way into the hotel.

The outlet Qafqazinfo referred to the demonstrators as “provocateurs” and “anti-people elements”, alleging that the protest was “radical” in nature and might even have links to Russia. The report cited another pro-government outlet, APA. Similar coverage framed the events through the lens of security threats and a supposed “Russian trace”.

Report.az, in an article largely based on the embassy’s statement, emphasised claims of a “forcible breach of a secured area” and “actions directed at the president’s vehicle”.

Who is Yagublu?

Tofig Yagublu, Rahim Yagublu’s father, is a prominent opposition politician and a member of the Musavat party and the National Council. In March 2025, he was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of fraud and document forgery.

Amnesty International described the verdict and trial as “fabricated and unfair”, criticising the proceedings as a “show trial”.

Human Rights Watch likewise called the charges fabricated and characterised the case as part of a broader campaign to silence critics.

Rahim Yagublu has previously been detained by police in Azerbaijan. In a report by the Azerbaijani service of Voice of America, his name appeared among Musavat activists detained while attempting to stage a picket outside the Iranian embassy.

Azerbaijani protest in Washington