The European Parliament reiterates its deep concern over the continued detention of Armenian political prisoners and prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, including former high-ranking representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh; calls for their immediate and unconditional release and respect for their fundamental rights.
European Parliament resolution on the cases of Ali Karimli, Anar Mammadli and other political prisoners in Azerbaijan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolution on Azerbaijan,
– having regard to Rules 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
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- Whereas Azerbaijani authorities have intensified their crackdown on political opposition, independent media and civil society through politically motivated prosecutions and increasingly severe prison sentences;
- whereas Ali Karimli, chairman of an opposition party, Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, has been detained since 29 November 2025 on charges of attempting to seize power and forcibly change the constitutional order, carrying a potential life sentence; whereas no credible supporting evidence has been publicly disclosed; whereas he has faced severe restrictions on family contact, communications, food parcels and access to legal documents;
- whereas Anar Mammadli, prominent human rights defender and election monitor, was sentenced on 7 September 2026 to 13 years’ imprisonment following proceedings marred by serious due-process violations; whereas the ECtHR previously found his detention politically motivated and intended to silence his civil-society activities;
- whereas, in the Mammadli group v. Azerbaijan, the ECtHR found a pattern of politically motivated arrests and detention aimed at silencing and punishing government critics and civil society activists; whereas Azerbaijan has yet to fully implement these judgments;
- whereas on 1 July 2026 Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Baku and met President Ilham Aliyev, with discussions focusing amongst other on energy and the deepening of EU-Azerbaijan relations;
- whereas in September 2026 EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, Magdalena Grono, visited Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a diplomatic visit organised by the Azerbaijani authorities;
- Strongly condemns the continued systematic repression of political opposition, independent media and civil society in Azerbaijan;
- Demands the immediate and unconditional release of Ali Karimli, Anar Mammadli and all persons imprisoned on politically motivated grounds, and the quashing of politically motivated convictions and charges;
- Condemns Karimli’s punitive detention conditions; demands full access to lawyers, family communication and medical care for all detainees;
- Reiterates its deep concern over the continued detention of Armenian political prisoners and prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, including former high-ranking representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh; calls for their immediate and unconditional release and respect for their fundamental rights;
- Deplores the failure of EU representatives, during recent high-level visits to Azerbaijan, to publicly raise the cases of political prisoners and demand their release; warns that such silence risks undermining the credibility of the EU’s human rights policy; insists that any further deepening of EU-Azerbaijan relations be conditional on the immediate release of persons detained on politically motivated grounds and an end to the crackdown on independent media, civil society and political opposition;
- Calls on Azerbaijan to fully implement ECtHR judgments concerning politically motivated prosecutions, including the Mammadli group of cases;
- Condemns Azerbaijan’s transnational repression against exiled critics and calls on Member States to reject extradition requests based on politically motivated prosecutions;
- Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant EU institutions and the authorities of Azerbaijan.