The Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) has published its report entitled “Toplum’s Case: Injustice Amid Systematic Repression". The report states that the trial of nine journalists, civil society activists and politicians associated with IDI, Toplum TV and the Third Republic Platform was marked by serious injustices. According to the report, all nine individuals are political prisoners under the criteria established in Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Resolution 1900 (2012). The preparation of the report, which provides a final assessment of the trial in the “Toplum’s case”, as well as the monitoring of the court proceedings, was carried out by IDI’s alumni network.
On 27 July 2026, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced nine individuals in the “Toplum’s case” to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years on charges of smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion and violations of labour legislation. All the defendants denied the charges and appealed the verdict.
The report published by IDI identifies serious concerns regarding the legal basis of the case, the reliability of the evidence presented and the fairness of the trial.
The report notes that, following the refusal to register IDI, the activities of an unregistered non-governmental organisation and media outlet were classified as economic crimes. The smuggling charges were based on cash allegedly discovered by the police during searches conducted on 6 March 2024. The defendants stated that the cash had been deliberately planted on them. However, no evidence confirming violations of customs regulations was presented in the case materials.
Violations of the right to a fair trial were also documented during the proceedings. According to witness testimonies, statements were obtained from them under pressure, and they were threatened with reprisals if they withdrew their statements. At the same time, some witnesses whose testimony was relevant to the case were not allowed to testify, while the judge displayed overt bias against the defendants.
It should be noted that, under the court's verdict, Akif Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzatli were sentenced to 15 years in prison; Alasgar Mammadli and Ali Zeynal to 14 years; Mushfig Jabbarov, Ramil Babayev and Ilkin Amrahov to 13 years; and Farid Ismayilov and Elmir Abbasov to 12 years.
In light of the violations identified during the trial, IDI calls for the immediate release of all nine individuals. The Institute also calls on the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to take appropriate measures in relation to the Toplum’s case within the framework of the execution of judgments in the Mammadli group of cases concerning Azerbaijan.
Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI)
27 October 2026