Karimli's supporters called for increased pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities.

The Public Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Arrested PFPA Leader Ali Karimli Called on the International Community to Increase Pressure on the Azerbaijani Authorities to Release Him and Other Political Prisoners.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on November 29, 2025, State Security Service officers detained Ali Karimli and his advisor, Mammad Ibrahim, a member of the Presidium of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA). Both opposition figures were arrested for two and a half months, until February 13. Karimli was charged under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (actions aimed at the violent seizure of power or the violent change of the constitutional order of the state). He denied the charges and called his criminal case political persecution. On February 9, the arrest of Karimli and Ibrahim was extended for another four months.

PFPA Deputy Chairperson Saadat Jahangir, in comments to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, noted that Karimli refuses to testify to the investigation because he considers the charges absurd.

On February 22, the Committee for the Protection of Ali Karimli's Rights declared his case to be politically motivated. "The charges brought by Azerbaijan's investigative bodies against the PFPA chairman are entirely politically motivated," the statement read.

The Committee demanded the immediate release of Ali Karimli and PFPA functionary Mammad Ibrahim, who was arrested with him, and that this criminal case and politically motivated arrests in general be dropped. The committee also called on the international community to increase pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities to secure the release of Karimli and other political prisoners.

The committee was established on February 4 with the participation of approximately 40 Azerbaijani political and public figures, as well as human rights defenders. One of the organization's co-chairs is human rights activist Leyla Yunus, who is currently in political exile in the Netherlands.

The statement emphasized that Karimli has been subjected to systematic, ongoing, and politically motivated persecution, pressure, and rights violations for many years.

"Back in 1994, during a peaceful protest, Ali Karimli was forcibly detained by police, subjected to physical violence, and a criminal case was opened against him on charges of illegal possession of a hand grenade, based on fabricated evidence. The charges were later proven to be groundless, and the case was dropped. However, the criminal case opened in 1994 remained open. And in 2006, on the basis of this case, Ali Kerimli was denied a passport, despite a European Court of Human Rights ruling acknowledging a violation of his rights," Jamil Hasanli, co-chair of the committee and head of the National Council of Democratic Forces, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.