Union activists on trial in Azerbaijan
Arrests in Azerbaijan – “Working Table”
Judicial proceedings have begun in Azerbaijan concerning union activists. During the trial of Afiyaddin Mammadov, chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions “Working Table,” who is accused of intentional infliction of serious bodily harm in a particularly dangerous manner and illegal possession of a cold weapon, discrepancies emerged in witness testimonies. In the case of Makhyaddin Orujov, who is accused of drug trafficking, journalists were initially barred from the courtroom and could only gain access after active protests.
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On July 30, at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, testimony was heard from two witnesses in the case of trade union activist Afiyaddin Mammadov: Mustafa Ismailov and Sadig Hasanli, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ rapid response unit.
Ismailov stated that they received a report of a stabbing. Within five minutes, they arrived at the scene and saw a man lying on the ground and Mammadov, who had been “detained by citizens.”
When questioned by the defense attorney, Ismailov said he did not see a knife in Mammadov’s hands. According to him, the knife was found near a trash can. The victim had a wound on the left side of his abdomen.
However, another witness, Hasanli, claimed he saw the wound on the victim’s right side.
Mammadov, for his part, stated that these two police officers were not present during his arrest. According to the defendant, four officers from the patrol service and six plainclothes officers from the city police department were involved in the arrest.
Mammadov was arrested on September 20, 2023, near his home, after he claims to have been attacked by an unidentified individual. He claimed that an unknown individual inflicted the wounds on himself, and that the police placed the knife in Mammadov’s hand after he was already in handcuffs.
He faces up to 11 years in prison. The human rights defender denies the accusations and claims that he has been falsely accused due to his public and political activities.
The next court session is scheduled for August 13.
Earlier, on August 2, 2023, Afiyaddin Mammadov was subjected to administrative arrest. On the same day, he appeared in court twice. The Khatai District Court of Baku fined the activist 500 manats (about $300) under the article for “failure to comply with the requirements of an executive body related to court decisions” in the Code of Administrative Offenses. Meanwhile, the Yasamal District Court of the capital sentenced him to 30 days of administrative detention for “petty hooliganism” and “intentional disobedience to a police officer or serviceman.”
This occurred following a protest action by food delivery couriers on August 1, which was supported by “Working Table.”
Human rights defenders, confident that Afiyaddin Mammadov is being punished for defending workers’ rights, have recognized him as a political prisoner.
On the same day, a court hearing was held for another trade union activist, Makhyaddin Orujov, who is accused in a drug case. Without any explanation, journalists were initially barred from the courtroom, even though the trial was supposed to be open.
Reporters went to the court’s reception area and demanded a meeting with the court chairman. The chairman’s assistant came out and then allowed media representatives into the trial.
At the start of the hearing, attorney Nazim Musayev filed a motion to disqualify the court panel. He reminded the court that, during the previous hearing, Orujov had been kept in the courtroom in handcuffs despite the defense’s protests.
According to precedent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, keeping a defendant in handcuffs in the courtroom during the trial constitutes torture. Since the judges were “turning a blind eye to torture,” the attorney filed a motion to disqualify the court panel. However, the motion was not granted, though the handcuffs were removed from Orujov.
The attorney then requested that the responses from investigators to the defense’s motions during the preliminary investigation be removed from the case materials, as no responses had been received. However, after the fact, the case was supplemented with the investigation responses, indicating that they had been sent to lawyer’s office No. 9.
The attorney presented a document from the office stating that no responses to the motions had been received. Due to this falsification, the attorney demanded the removal of the mentioned responses from the case materials. However, this request was also denied, and the court scheduled the substantive hearing for August 2.
Makhyaddin Orujov was arrested on December 13, 2023, on charges of large-scale drug trafficking.
Earlier, in October of the same year, he had been administratively detained for 30 days on charges of disobeying the police. After his release, Orujov claimed that the real reason for his arrest was his criticism of the authorities on social media for labor rights violations. He also reported being beaten and subjected to inhumane treatment by the police.
In August 2023, following a courier protest, two more members of “Working Table” — Aykhan Israfilov and Elvin Mustafaev — were arrested on charges of drug possession. In January 2024, Elvin Mustafaev was sentenced to 3 years in prison, and in April, Aykhan Israfilov received the same sentence.
Both young activists denied the charges and claimed that their arrests were linked to their human rights work.
