Azerbaijan: Opposition leader Ali Karimli in custody

“Germany and the EU must act now – human rights must not be sacrificed for the sake of the energy trade”

Frankfurt am Main, September 1, 2026 – The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) is sounding the alarm over the dramatic detention conditions of Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Karimli. According to his family, the 61-year-old chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) is being denied a desperately needed medical examination. Furthermore, the conditions in his cell are untenable: garbage is not disposed of, bed linens are not changed, and drinking water is being rationed. The ISHR calls on the German Federal Government and the European Union to immediately exert their political and economic influence on President Ilham Aliyev.

“Ali Karimli needs a doctor now, and he needs humane detention conditions. Furthermore, we demand the complete discontinuation of criminal proceedings and Karimli’s immediate release. Germany and the EU must not wait for political repression to turn into a medical tragedy,” explains Valerio Krüger, ISHR Board Spokesperson.

Politically motivated proceedings against a leading democrat
Karimli already served as a state secretary in the early 1990s and is one of Azerbaijan’s best-known democratic and pro-European opposition politicians. On November 29, 2025, he was arrested in Baku following a search of his home. A court ordered pre-trial detention shortly thereafter. The authorities accuse him, among other things, of actions aimed at the “violent seizure of power” and a “violent change of the constitutional order.” The ISHR assesses the proceedings as purely politically motivated repression against the country’s democratic opposition.

Targeted harassment and alarming detention conditions
In addition to a lack of hygiene and targeted water shortages during a heat wave, Karimli was temporarily prohibited from contacting his family. Of particular concern: he is being held together with a mentally ill, suspected IS fighter, which makes getting adequate sleep almost impossible.

A warning example: Around 400 political prisoners
According to the ISHR, the case is exemplary of the regime’s systematic crackdown, which currently keeps around 400 people in politically motivated detention. The fate of Gozel Bayramli, Karimli’s former deputy, demonstrates just how dangerous inadequate medical care in Azerbaijani prisons is. She was also supported by the ISHR and died a year after her release from prison as a result of cancer that was treated too late. “The case of Gozel Bayramli must serve as a warning to us. This tragedy must not be repeated with Ali Karimli,” emphasizes Krüger.

ISHR to the EU: Human rights must not be a secondary matter
As Azerbaijan has become an important partner for the EU in the course of European energy diversification, the ISHR demands that economic relations be strictly linked to the rule of law. “Anyone who wants to expand economic and energy policy relations with Azerbaijan must also clearly state their own terms of business,” says Valerio Krüger.