Blogger detained in Azerbaijan

Police reported the detention of blogger Ilkhami Nasibov in the Agdam region, suspected of blackmail.

In the Agdam region, police officers detained Ilkhami Nasibov, accused of extorting money under the threat of disseminating defamatory information about a number of citizens.

25-year-old Ilkhami Nasibov, who introduced himself as the administrator of the Kanal-21 page on social networks and a journalist, is suspected of receiving various amounts of money from individuals through blackmail. According to the court's decision, a preventive measure in the form of arrest for a period of four months was chosen for Nasibov, Report reported.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" also wrote that on December 8, 2024, the director of the Institute of Political Management Azer Gasimli was detained on suspicion of extortion from a person who owed Gasimli money. The court placed him in custody. The case materials state that the political scientist lent money to Gurbanali Yusifov and his family, demanding that the victim return the borrowed funds. An indictment was announced at the trial of political scientist Azer Gasimli. The political scientist stated that in fact the victim is himself.

The political scientist's wife said that the arrest "is a political order from the authorities". "Azer is being persecuted for his consistent, sharp criticism of the political regime in Azerbaijan, which suppresses critical voices. Azer criticized the authorities' policy of refusing to cooperate with the international democratic community and moving closer to authoritarian regimes," Samira Gasimli noted.