Azerbaijan jails rights, climate activist for 13 years
An Azerbaijani court on Monday sentenced prominent rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli to 13 years in prison, his lawyer said, denouncing the case as punishment for his activism.
Mammadli was detained in 2024 on smuggling charges that human rights groups say are "bogus".
"The Baku court on grave crimes sentenced Anar Mammadli to 13 years behind bars and his co-defendant Anar Abdullayev to 12 years," his lawyer Elchin Sadygov told AFP.
Mammadli's arrest was one of a series which critics said undermined Azerbaijan's credibility as a host of the United Nations COP29 climate change conference in November 2024.
He was now convicted on charges including illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, smuggling, tax evasion and document forgery, allegedly involving an organised group.
"There is no evidence supporting any of the charges against Mammadli," Sadygov said.
"He is being punished for his human rights work. We disagree with the verdict and will appeal."
Mammadli's organisation reported irregularities in Azerbaijan's February 2024 presidential election.
He also co-founded the Climate of Justice Initiative, which sought to promote environmental justice.
International rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, a US senator and the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders have all denounced the proceedings against Mammadli and demanded his release.
Any sign of dissent in Azerbaijan is usually met with a tough response from President Ilham Aliyev's government, which has faced strong Western criticism for persecuting political opponents and suffocating independent media.
The 64-year-old has ruled the country with an iron fist since 2003, after the death of his father, Azerbaijan's Soviet-era Communist leader and former KGB general Heydar Aliyev.
The Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan has published a list of 288 political prisoners, including opposition politicians, rights activists, and journalists.
