Azerbaijani political scientist Gasimli sentenced to 12 years in prison

A Baku court sentenced political scientist Azer Gasimli to 12 years in prison on extortion charges. He categorically denied the charges and called the case politically motivated.

As reported by Caucasian Knot, a Baku court has been hearing the case of political scientist Azer Gasimli, director of the Institute of Political Management, since July 2025, accused of extortion and threats. Gurbanali Yusifov, who accused Gasimli of extortion, was unable to explain in court the allegations in his statements that Gasimli allegedly incited him "against statehood." The prosecutor requested a 13-year prison sentence for the defendant.

Yesterday, March 11, the trial of Azer Gasimli, director of the Institute of Political Management, concluded at the Baku Grave Crimes Court, presided over by Judge Telman Gasimov. The verdict was announced: Gasimli was sentenced to 12 years in prison, a Baku Grave Crimes Court employee told a Caucasian Knot correspondent. He noted that the prosecutor had previously requested a 13-year prison sentence for Gasimli.

Lawyer Agil Laic called the case fabricated. "As Azer Gasimli himself stated in his final statement, this case is devoid of legal grounds. Azer Gasimli is essentially not the accused, but the victim, since his money was embezzled by a person recognized as the victim. Azer Gasimli stated that he was arrested because of his socio-political activities and critical publications. "It's noteworthy that when Azer Gasimli asked the victim when he would return his money, he simply remained silent," Laidj said. He said the defense will appeal the verdict. Another lawyer, Rovshana Rahimova, also pointed out the lack of evidence against Gasimli. "During the more than year-long judicial investigation against Azer Gasimli, only one piece of evidence was presented—the testimony of the victim, Gurbanali Yusifov. Yes, numerous prosecution witnesses were questioned both during the preliminary investigation and during the trial. Some of them claimed that Azer Gasimli had threatened Yusifov. However, these witnesses admitted that they had not seen or heard Azer Gasimli personally threaten Yusifov. "They only knew about this from the victim's own words," the lawyer said.

The lawyer noted that the criminal case alleges that the political scientist threatened Yusifov with the murder of his father and the kidnapping of his son. "These allegations are unsubstantiated. Azer Gasimli tried to influence Gurbanali Yusifov to repay his money exclusively through legal means. Gasimli filed a civil lawsuit against him, and during the trial, Yusifov admitted that he owed him money. Gasimli repeatedly wrote to Yusifov that he would file complaints against him in court and the police. It is completely illogical for Azer Gasimli to threaten Yusifov with the murder of his father and the kidnapping of his son while defending his rights in court in a civil lawsuit," Rahimova noted.

Azer Gasimli's wife, Samira Gasimli, declared the accusations false. According to her, in 2020, Yusifov, at Gasimli's request, opened an account on a cryptocurrency website in his name and managed it. "In May and August of that year, Azer transferred a total of $20,000 to him, asking him to buy two bitcoins. We later discovered that he only purchased one bitcoin. Then, for reasons that remain unclear to us, the bitcoin in Azer's account also disappeared," she said.

According to Samira Gasimli, in January 2022, Yusifov signed a receipt stating that he would repay her husband in monthly installments. However, Yusifov later left the country and lost contact with Azer Gasimli, who filed a lawsuit, which was upheld in April 2024 by the Mingachevir City Court.

"Nevertheless, at the end of 2024, Azer was arrested on false charges of extortion through threats. The real reason was his political views and criticism of the policies of the Azerbaijani authorities," said Samira Gasimli.