Azerbaijan jails rights activist Anar Mammadli for 13 years

An Azerbaijani court sentenced prominent rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli to 13 years in prison on Monday, his lawyer Elchin Sadygov told AFP.

Sadygov said the Baku court on grave crimes also sentenced Mammadli's co-defendant, Anar Abdullayev, to 12 years in prison.

Mammadli was detained in 2024 on smuggling charges that human rights groups have called bogus. He has now been convicted on charges including illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, smuggling, tax evasion and document forgery, allegedly involving an organised group.

Sadygov said there was no evidence supporting the charges against Mammadli and described the case as punishment for his human rights work. He said the defence disagreed with the verdict and would 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 denounced the proceedings against Mammadli and demanded his release.

Azerbaijan's government under President Ilham Aliyev has faced Western criticism over its treatment of political opponents, independent media and rights activists. The Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan has published a list of 288 political prisoners, including opposition politicians, rights activists and journalists.