Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev sentenced to 10 years in prison
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev jailed for 10 years
In Azerbaijan, civic activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, accused of multiple economic crimes and hooliganism, received a lengthy prison sentence.
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On January 13, Judge Ali Mammadov of the Baku Court on Grave Crimes delivered the verdict in Bakhtiyar Hajiyev’s case, sentencing the activist to 10 years in prison.
The court ruled that Hajiyev’s house on G. Zardabi Street in Baku and the funds in his bank accounts would be confiscated. Additionally, he was barred from engaging in educational activities for one year after his release.
At the previous hearing, the prosecutor had sought an 11-year prison term for Hajiyev.
Hajiyev denounced the verdict as politically motivated, claiming that all charges against him had been legally disproven.
“The hooliganism charges were fabricated based on a complaint by Ulviyya Alovlu, who was acting on orders from her handlers in the authorities,” the activist stated.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev dismissed all other economic charges against him as absurd:
“They are based on an anonymous email claiming that I allegedly receive grants from Western organizations and plan to stage a coup in Azerbaijan.”
Hajiyev described these accusations as “entirely fabricated.” He believes the true reason for his arrest was his active efforts to impose sanctions on human rights violators in Azerbaijan.
He pointed out that his arrest came immediately after targeted sanctions were imposed on an official from the Main Organized Crime Department of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Hajiyev expressed gratitude to his family, journalists (especially those who have also faced arrest), and international organizations, including the U.S. State Department, Congress, the EU, PACE, the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament, for their support.
He highlighted the contribution of human rights defender Rufat Safarov, who himself was recently imprisoned, to his defense.
“Rufat Safarov defended human rights to the very end. He demonstrated that what matters most is not position or privilege, but working with integrity and standing up for human rights,” Hajiyev said.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was arrested in December 2022. Initially, he was charged under Articles 221.2.2 (hooliganism involving resistance to a public official performing their duties to maintain public order) and 289.1 (contempt of court) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.
The charges against Hajiyev stemmed from a complaint by journalist Ulviyya Alovlu. A longstanding conflict exists between Hajiyev and Alovlu, with both accusing each other of defamation. During one court hearing, a verbal altercation between them escalated into a physical scuffle. According to the charges, Hajiyev allegedly used violence during this incident against both Alovlu and court officer Orkhan Abdullayev.
The conflict with Alovlu originated over kittens. The journalist and the activist argued about one party’s refusal to give kittens from their cat to the other. This domestic dispute spiraled into mutual accusations and legal proceedings.
Hajiyev has repeatedly stated that the authorities used this situation to “retaliate against him for his criticism.”
On June 16, 2023, new charges were brought against the activist, primarily related to financial matters—alleged misuse of allocated grants. He was charged under Articles 192 (illegal entrepreneurship), 193-1 (legalization of criminally obtained property), 206 (smuggling), and 320 (use of forged documents) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.
In November of the same year, an additional charge was filed against Hajiyev, accusing him of tax evasion (Article 213.1 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code).
Hajiyev denies all charges. He claims his arrest was “ordered as punishment for his criticism of Interior Minister Vilayat Eyvazov.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs has dismissed these allegations as baseless.
The 42-year-old Bakhtiyar Hajiyev holds a master’s degree from Harvard University in the United States. He is known as a critic of the Azerbaijani authorities’ policies.
Hajiyev has been detained and subjected to repression multiple times. In 2011, he was arrested on charges of evading military service and was conditionally released a year later.
In August 2022, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev submitted a formal request to the Presidential Administration to renounce his Azerbaijani citizenship, citing violations of his rights. The request was not reviewed.
