Russian law enforcement agencies have claimed that members of the Batalkhadzhin Sufi community were linked to the Caucasus Emirate*, a militant Islamist organisation. Human rights advocates, however, have questioned the allegations, noting that the group effectively ceased to exist more than a decade ago and that publicly available case materials contain little evidence of specific acts of support for militants.
From February to June, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan increased from 357 to 375. The Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan divided their total number into 12 groups. These are “journalists and bloggers” – 29 people, “human rights activists” – 6, “members of opposition parties and representatives of civil society” – 39, “activists of national minorities” – 5, “anti-war activists” – 2, “those arrested in connection with the events in Soyudlu”, “deported political emigrants” and “believers” – 241, “those convicted in connection with the Terter case” – 8, “those convicted in connection with the Ganja case” – 13, “life-sentenced prisoners” – 12, “those arrested in connection with the Imishli case” – 13.
The new list includes journalists Ahmed Mammadli, Nurlan Gahramanli, Fatima Movlamli and Ulviya Ali. Also arrested were members of the opposition party "People's Front of Azerbaijan" Kenan Zeynalov, Novruz Taghiyev, Gunduz Mirzoyev and Zaur Askerov, human rights defenders and activists Bashir Suleymanli, Mammad Mammadzade, Asef Akhmedov and Zamin Zyaki. The number of political prisoners includes Talysh activist Zakhiriddin Ibrahimov, who was deported to Azerbaijan from Russia and accused of treason.