16:57, 10 June 2026

An Azerbaijani court has extended the arrest of Ali Karimli.

A Baku court has extended the arrest of Ali Karimli, head of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, for another five months.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in May, an appeals court dismissed the appeal of Ali Karimli, chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, against the refusal to transfer him to house arrest to attend his father's funeral. Karimli's associates were not allowed to approach the Baku Court of Appeals building.

On November 29, 2025, State Security Service officers detained Ali Karimli and his advisor, Mammad Ibrahim, a member of the PFPA presidium. Both opposition figures were arrested for two and a half months, until February 13. Karimli is 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 pretrial detention of Karimli and Ibrahim was extended for another four months.

The Sabail District Court of Baku today granted the request of the Investigative Department of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan to extend Karimli's pretrial detention for another five months – until November 13, Natig Adilov, head of the party's press service, told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

"There are no grounds for keeping Ali Karimli in custody. He has been in custody for more than six months, and no credible evidence of his guilt has been presented. This is a clearly politically motivated case aimed at removing the opposition leader from public life," Adilov said. According to him, the court's decision will be appealed.

One of Karimli's lawyers confirmed the extension of Karimli's arrest. "The investigative body justified the extension of the arrest in general terms by citing the need to conduct investigative measures," said the lawyer, who did not wish to publish his name.

As a reminder, on February 12, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan announced the uncovering of a conspiracy against the country's authorities involving former high-ranking officials and representatives of the Azerbaijani opposition. Among the defendants in the case are former head of the presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and PFPA leader Ali Karimli. Mehdiyev has been accused of attempting a coup d'état and is under house arrest. On November 29, the pro-government news agency APA linked the search of Ali Kerimli to the Ramiz Mehdiyev case, but a publication affiliated with the Popular Front Party (PFPA) refuted this version.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/423994