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Baku court sentences Arastun Orujlu to 8 years in absentia on anti-state charges

19 February 2026 10:40 (UTC +04:00)

The final court hearing has been held in the criminal case against Arastun Orujlu, who is accused of making anti-state calls, APA reports.

Today, an in absentia verdict was announced at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes during a hearing presided over by Judge Babek Panahov.

According to the verdict, Arastun Orujlu has been sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment.

Recall that a decision was adopted to charge Arastun Orujlu as an accused under Article 281.2 of the Criminal Code (public calls directed against the state, committed repeatedly or by a group of persons). It was reported that since he evaded the investigation and went into hiding outside the borders of Azerbaijan, he was placed on the wanted list for the purpose of formally announcing the charges against him. By a decision of the Binagadi District Court dated February 23, 2025, a preventive measure of arrest in absentia was imposed on him.

On September 18, a decision was made to charge Arastun Orujlu as an accused under Articles 220.2 and 281.2 of the Criminal Code, with additions and changes made to the content of the charge.

It was noted that on January 4, 2023, on the channel called “Arastun Orujlu’s Channel” on the “YouTube” internet platform and on October 24, 2024, on the channel called “Azerfreedom TV”, he, together with a group of individuals who had previously colluded with others, made and disseminated open calls encouraging the use of force against the current government, which was formed and operates on legal grounds in Azerbaijan.