Mahammad Mirzali

Affiliated media: Blogger

Incident date: September 22, 2025

Attack type:

• arrest in absentia

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Institute for Human Rights

Location: Azerbaijan, Baku

Additional information:

Azerbaijani blogger Mahammad Mirzali, who lives in France and is known for his criticism of the Azerbaijani government on social media, has been tried in absentia. The Binagadi District Court sentenced him to six years and six months in prison. Mirzali was convicted under Article 220.2 of the Criminal Code (calls for mass riots and disobedience to lawful state orders) and Article 281.1 (public calls for the violent seizure of power). Prosecutors claimed that his social media posts contained “open calls to forcibly change the constitutional order of the state.”