The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan upheld the denial of parole for Samir Ashurov.

The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan upheld the denial of parole for PNF activist Samir Ashurov, who is serving a sentence for assault. The consideration of the cassation appeal took about two minutes and was held without the participation of the state prosecutor, noted human rights defender Zafar Akhmedov.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on December 29, 2025, it became known that a member of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (PNFA) Samir Ashurov declared a hunger strike in protest against violence after a high-ranking prison administration official struck him in the face. Prior to this, Ashurov faced pressure, in particular, he was obstructed from making phone calls to his wife. On January 5, Ashurov ended the hunger strike.

On September 17, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan held a hearing on Samir Ashurov's cassation appeal against the denial of parole (UDO) in connection with serving two-thirds of his sentence. During the process, chaired by Judge Vidadi Jafarov, the highest court upheld the verdict of the Baku appellate court, reported a member of the human rights group "Defense Line" Zafar Akhmedov.

"In fact, it is difficult to even call this a trial. Today's proceedings broke all 'world records' for speed. Yes, in my memory over many years of human rights work, there have been court sessions lasting 6-7 minutes. But today's session lasted only two minutes. The state prosecutor did not even participate in the process," Akhmedov told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

Formal proceedings in the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan are not uncommon, noted one of the Baku lawyers.

"According to the law, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan does not consider cases on the merits, but checks the legality and validity of the application of legal norms by lower courts. But this does not mean that complaints should be treated formally, without adhering to procedural norms. In practice, judges of the Supreme Court often consider cases very quickly, as if they are passing them through a conveyor belt, especially when it comes to applications for parole," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

Procedural violations, the absence of a state prosecutor during the consideration in the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan, may be additionally attached by the defense to the case materials when considering Samir Ashurov's complaint in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the merits of the case, noted the lawyer.

An employee of the Supreme Court confirmed to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" the information about the decision in Samir Ashurov's case.

"Caucasian Knot" does not yet have a comment from the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that in November 2025, six prisoners from Baku colony No. 2, including Samir Ashurov (investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly, economist Fazil Gasimov, trade union activist Afiyaddin Mamedov, activist Lachin Veliev, and members of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Mehman Aliyev and Samir Ashurov), announced the creation of a "Committee for the Protection of Political Prisoners." They explained this decision by stating that violations of human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan "have reached a critical level and have become systematic."

After the committee was formed, its organizers began to face pressure. In particular, Samir Ashurov received threats, and Lachin Veliev was transferred to another colony, where he was subjected to beatings and insults by security forces.