Azerbaijani activist sentenced to 6 years for writing “Stalin” on Aliyev statue

A court in Baku sentenced activist of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) Elbeyi Karimli to 6 years in prison. He was found guilty of drug possession.

Karimli stated in court that drugs are a standard falsified accusation. The reason for the arrest, according to him, was that last summer he wrote the word “Stalin” on the statue of Heydar Aliyev, the ex-president of Azerbaijan, the father of the current head of state Ilham Aliyev. Karimli was then detained, the police put pressure on him, and he accepted the accusation. The man was arrested in August 2023 and was kept in Baku pre-trial detention center No. 1.

In fact, Elbai Karimli was convicted based on the testimony of the police themselves. The young man stated that he confessed under pressure. But the court ignored this, the lawyer said.

Последние новости
Aliyev and Pashinyan congratulated Zelenskyy on Independence Day and assured of their support for Ukraine
Politics
Aliyev and Pashinyan congratulated Zelenskyy on Independence Day and assured of their support for Ukraine
24 August 2026

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Ukraine's Independence Day. In their messages, they expressed support for the country and outlined their vision for the future development of relations between Baku and Yerevan with Kyiv.

Pashinyan: Karapetyan's
Politics
Pashinyan: Karapetyan's "secret plan" is to provoke an economic crisis and change the government
24 August 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that part of the Armenian opposition is interested in tightening Russian restrictions on imports into the country. According to him, economic pressure should lead to a crisis and protests, which could then be used to change the government.

Ukraine attacked southern Russia: children died in Krasnodar, and Ozon warehouses were hit
Politics
Ukraine attacked southern Russia: children died in Krasnodar, and Ozon warehouses were hit
24 August 2026

Overnight into August 24, drones attacked several regions in southern Russia. The consequences were most tragic in Krasnodar: drone debris fell on a private children's center, killing two children and injuring seven other children and two adults. This was reported by Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar Krai.

Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
Human rights
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
23 August 2026

Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).