Kerimli's associates stated that the politician was being isolated from the media.

Ali Karimli, Chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, has limited access to information – the television in his cell is turned off, there is no radio, he is not receiving newspapers, and he has been deprived of the right to make phone calls, his associates stated. The Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights expressed concern about the persecution of Karimli and his treatment.

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 PFPA presidium. Both opposition figures were arrested. 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 June 16, in the appellate court, Karimli declared that his telephone rights had been restricted.

Karimli denied access to news and communications

Karimli was granted a meeting with his wife in the State Security Service pretrial detention center, the PFPA press service reported.

"Ali Karimli reported at the meeting that after the French television channel France 24 distributed his interview, his conditions of detention worsened. He was transferred to another cell where two other prisoners are being held, one of whom is mentally disturbed. Due to this person's nightly vigil, loudly uttering religious exclamations, Ali Karimli is deprived of normal sleep," the PFPA representative said.

Furthermore, Ali Karimli has been deprived of telephone calls. The television in his cell is turned off, there is no radio, and newspapers and other media brought by lawyers are not being passed on to him. He has found himself in complete information isolation from the outside world, the PFPA press service representative continued.

Ali Kerimli was even denied two hours of fresh air each day in the pretrial detention center.

"Furthermore, Ali Kerimli was even denied two hours of fresh air each day in the pretrial detention center. If this continues, Ali Kerimli's physical health will be seriously damaged." "Nevertheless, Ali Karimli conveyed that no pressure, difficulties, or hardships will force him to renounce his beliefs or his fight for freedom and justice," the PFPA representative concluded.

Human rights activists demand that Karimli's rights be respected

The Canada-based Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights expressed concern "over the continued detention of Ali Karimli, the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, who was detained in November 2025."

"The trial did not take place, and no guilty verdict has been handed down, raising questions about the rule of law, judicial independence, and the presumption of innocence. Following his recent interviews with international media, his detention conditions have reportedly been tightened: contact with his family has been restricted, and measures including sleep deprivation have been applied," the organization said in a statement.

The human rights organization called for Karimli's "immediate release."

"Any measures that violate his dignity, including sleep deprivation, must cease immediately. We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure full respect for due process guarantees and other fundamental rights under national and international law," the statement concluded.

State Security Service representatives were unavailable for comment.

The PFPA denies any connection between Karimli and the party as a whole and Mehdiyev. "Linking Ali Karimli and the PFPA with Ramiz Mehdiyev is utter absurdity. Mehdiyev was an influential figure in this regime for 25 years, which we have been consistently fighting. It is even more absurd to claim that Ali Karimli and Ramiz Mehdiyev were plotting a coup in Russia's interests. The PFPA has always advocated for Azerbaijan's integration into the European Union. Obviously, the authorities are using the Mehdiyev case to finally crack down on the political opposition," Natig Adilov, head of the PFPA press service, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent earlier.