Arrested Azerbaijani opposition leader goes on hunger strike

Azerbaijan Popular Front Party member Vugar Gadirli has declared a hunger strike in a detention center to protest his criminal prosecution. His relatives report that he is not receiving the medications he needs.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on December 12, 2025, security forces in the Imishli district detained Vugar Gadirli, a member of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), and searched his home and workplace (a cafe). The following day, Gadirli was arrested on charges of illegal possession of firearms.

Arrested Vugar Gadirli (Gadirov) has begun a hunger strike, Meydan TV reported on its website on February 14, citing the opposition leader's family.

According to relatives, Vugar Gadirli has been charged with new criminal offenses. He began a hunger strike in protest, as he denies the charges.

Gadirli's relatives noted that, despite his health problems, staff at the detention center where he is being held did not allow him to receive the medications he had brought.

The publication did not provide details of the new charges against Gadirli, recalling that he is accused of illegal possession of weapons.

It should be noted that in November 2025, State Security Service officers detained PFPA leader Ali Karimli and his advisor Mammad Ibrahim. Both opposition figures were arrested. Karimli was charged under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan 1 . He denied the charges and called his criminal case political persecution. On February 9, Karimli's arrest was extended by four months.

On February 12, the State Security Service announced the uncovering of a conspiracy against the country's authorities involving former high-ranking officials and members of the Azerbaijani opposition. Among the defendants in the case were former head of the presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Ali Karimli.

In 2025, the Azerbaijani authorities intensified repression against the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, culminating in the arrests of Ali Karimli and his associates, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) previously stated.

The PFPA became a target of the Azerbaijani authorities due to its consistent fight against the rise of authoritarianism and corruption in the country. At the same time, there is no other party in Azerbaijan that has been "permanently subjected to pressure, persecution, and repression" over the past 20 years, Jamil Hasanli, chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces, told the Caucasian Knot. The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to a Caucasian Knot report titled "Key Points to Azerbaijan's Record Number of Political Prisoners." Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.