Ali Kerimli coup trial opens behind closed doors in Baku

The trial of jailed Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Kerimli on charges of attempting to seize state power by force opened behind closed doors in Baku on Tuesday, his supporters said.

Kerimli, 61, the long-time head of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, is being tried alongside senior party official Mammad Ibrahim. He faces up to life imprisonment if convicted.

A committee campaigning for Kerimli's release said police cordoned off the Baku Court of Grave Crimes before the hearing and dispersed hundreds of party supporters who had gathered outside. It said officers also barred relatives of the defendants from entering the courtroom.

The committee said a defence lawyer confirmed that the judicial panel had formally decided to hold the trial behind closed doors.

Kerimli, in detention since November 2025, denies the charges and says they are politically motivated. In a statement transmitted through his lawyers in June, he called the accusations “entirely fabricated” and said he did not expect a fair trial.

The European Parliament last month called for Kerimli's release, citing concerns over political repression in Azerbaijan.