Ilgar Mammadov ( az, İlqar Məmmədov; born June 14, 1970) is an opposition politician in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, and one of the leaders of the
Republican Alternative Party. Mammadov was considered a likely candidate for the Presidential elections in October 2013, but was arrested in February 2013, prior to the race, in a move that was widely seen as politically motivated.
In March 2014, Mammadov was sentenced to 7 years in jail. He was released from prison on August 13, 2018. On 23 April 2020,
Supreme Court of Azerbaijan
Supreme Court of Azerbaijan is the highest court instance and final court of appeal of three-staged judicial system in Azerbaijan. Established in pursuant Article 131 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Article 77 of the Law "on C ...
has acquitted Ilgar Mammadov and 300,000
manat compensation will be paid.
Life
He was born in 1970. After serving in the Soviet Army from 1988 to 1989, he studied history at
Moscow State University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
and political science at
Central European University
Central European University (CEU) is a private research university accredited in Austria, Hungary, and the United States, with campuses in Vienna and Budapest. The university is known for its highly intensive programs in the social sciences and ...
in Budapest. In 1994-2000 he was a researcher at
Baku State University
Baku State University (BSU) ( az, Bakı Dövlət Universiteti (BDU)) is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. Established in 1919 by the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the university started with faculties of history and ...
. He was one of the founders of the National Committee for European Integration and the first chairman of the Committee. He is director of the Council of Europe's School of Political Studies in Azerbaijan. He is also a member of the advisory boards of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and
Revenue Watch Institute
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive revenue ...
. Since 2006, Ilgar Mammadov has been a member of the Board of the
Open Society Institute
Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with a sta ...
of Azerbaijan.
Political career
Mammadov's previous political affiliation was with the
National Independence Party where he served as Deputy Chairman between 1998 and 2003. He left the party in 2003 due to growing policy disagreements.
Mammadov was banned from TV and radio after his 19 March 2009 republicanist speech on
ANS TV
ANS TV (also known as ''ANS Independent Broadcasting Media Company'') was a news television channel in Azerbaijan, which was owned by ANS Group of Companies from its foundation on 26 November 1991 until its closure on 18 July 2016. Its name, ANS, ...
live. He had protested against the conduct of the
18 March 2009 referendum that removed term limits from the President's office, and thus permitted, in principle, a President for life.
Arrest and imprisonment
Mammadov was arrested on February 4, 2013, after traveling to
Ismayilli
Ismayilli ( az, İsmayıllı) is a city and the capital of the Ismayilli District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 28,776 in 2021
History
The territory of the district was part of the Albania state, which was formed in the late 4th cent ...
, a town in Northern Azerbaijan in which there had been civil disturbance, following alleged repression by the local governor. He subsequently was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, in March 2014.
A number of countries and organizations have protested against this sentencing. The US State Department noted "significant irregularities in witness testimony and court proceedings. Our observations led to the conclusion that the verdicts were not based on the evidence and were politically motivated."
The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom also expressed concern, saying that they were "troubled by a number of aspects of the conduct of the trial which reinforce the impression that the verdicts were politically motivated."
[, date=March 24, 2014}] Similar statements were released by France, the European Union
and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The
Natural Resource Governance Institute
The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving countries' governance over their natural resources (in particular oil, gas and minerals) to promote sustainable and inclusive developm ...
, a think tanks, also condemned the sentence.
On May 22, 2014, the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
(ECHR) found that the authorities in Azerbaijan had violated a number of basic human rights provisions in arresting and sentencing Mammadov. The court ordered Azerbaijan to pay compensation to Mammadov. On December 5, 2017, the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe ( French: ''Comité des ministres du Conseil de l'Europe'') or Committee of Ministers ( French: ''Comité des ministres'') is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Forei ...
, for the first time in its history,
initiated infringement proceedings against the Republic of Azerbaijan for failing to comply with the ECHR judgment.
On April 1, 2019, the ECHR unanimously held that there had been a violation of Article 46 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as the Republic of Azerbaijan had failed to fulfil its obligation to comply with the judgment.
References
External links
*
Ilgar Mammadov's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mammadov, Ilgar
1970 births
Politicians from Baku
Living people
Prisoners and detainees of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani prisoners and detainees
Moscow State University alumni
Central European University alumni
Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights
Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights cases involving Azerbaijan