Rights defenders call for release of Anar Mamedli, head of CEM&DS

Human rights defenders have called for the release of Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies (CEM&DS), treating the case against him as part of repressions against critics of Azerbaijani authorities.

Anar's health is deteriorating at the SIZO (pre-trial prison); and requests for his medical examination have gone unanswered, his advocate said in October 2024. The advocate added that the defence had long tried to ensure that Mamedli was examined, but decided to make the problem public when all requests were ignored by officials. The Azerbaijani Ombudsperson's Office reported that Mamedli had been examined at the SIZO, but the defence insisted on an examination at a private clinic.

The international human rights organization recalled in the X social network that Mamedli has been held in custody since April 29, 2024. Earlier, the organization indicated that Mamedli was arrested after co-founding a public campaign for climate justice ahead of the UN COP29 conference in Azerbaijan.

Elchin Sadygov, an advocate, said that Mamedli is still being denied efficient medical care. "Anar Mamedli still suffers from severe back pains; he has a tumour in his throat that makes it difficult to breathe; and he is losing body weight. But he is not given the opportunity to be examined in a clinic and receive adequate treatment," Sadygov has explained. Anar Mamedli is one of the founders of the "COP29 Fair Environment Initiative", which was established in February by five Azerbaijani NGOs in order to draw attention to human rights, environmental and corruption issues in the country within the framework of COP29 (the 29th Conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). In the light of the conference, the repressions against the opposition and independent media in Azerbaijan became known to the whole world.