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NGO officials in Azerbaijan face criminal charges for illegally issuing orders and medals

17 October 2025 12:09 (UTC +04:00)

Officials of non-governmental organizations that illegally produced orders and medals and presented them to numerous people have been brought to criminal responsibility, the Press Service of the Prosecutor General’s Office told APA.

A criminal case has been initiated, and a preliminary investigation is underway at the Chief Department for Combating Corruption under the Prosecutor General in connection with facts that certain non-governmental organizations operating in the Republic of Azerbaijan illegally established orders and medals under various names and presented them to specific individuals.

Which NGO officials are being accused?

As a result of measures carried out, reasonable suspicions have been identified that officials of certain non-governmental organizations, including the Public Unions “Azerbaijan Karabakh War Disabled, Veterans and Families of Martyrs”, “Azerbaijan Homeland War Veterans”, “Protection of Families of Martyrs, Disabled and War Veterans”, “Organization of War, Labor and Armed Forces Veterans of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, “Care for Karabakh Disabled”, “Center for Stability and Development” Public Unions, the “International Disabled Fighters” and “Dede Gorgud Charity” Funds, as well as officials of other non-governmental organizations, exceeded their official powers.

That is, despite the legislation, including the law “On the Establishment of Orders and Medals of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, which provides that orders and medals are state honors awarded by the state to citizens for special services, the prohibition in other normative legal acts on the establishment of orders and medals (including any use of the terms order or medal as a type of award), and the provisions of the law on Non-Governmental Organizations (public unions and funds) that prohibit the appropriation of powers of state and local self-government bodies in the charters of non-governmental organizations, the officials of the said non-governmental organizations clearly went beyond the limits of their official powers and illegally established numerous orders, medals, and breast badges under various names, and presented those orders, medals, and breast badges to many persons on the basis of personal relationships as well as in exchange for various amounts of money.

What was established during the investigation?

During searches and other investigative actions, 1,518 orders and medals, 777 certificates for orders and medals, 7 booklets, records and other material evidence indicating that the mentioned orders and medals had been presented to 8,069 persons at various times, were seized.

Based on the initial collected evidence, charges under Article 309.1 of the Criminal Code (exceeding official powers) were brought against Sayyaf Orujov, chairman of the “International Disabled Fighters” Fund; Mehdi Mehdiyev, chairman of the “Azerbaijan Karabakh War Disabled, Veterans and Families of Martyrs” Public Union; and Fuzuli Rzaguliyev, chairman of the “Azerbaijan Patriotic War Veterans” Public Union, and preventive measures in the form of custody under police supervision were chosen with respect to them.

At the same time, procedural actions are continuing in connection with similar facts, and measures are being continued to expose and bring to liability officials of non-governmental organizations who committed violations in this area.

In addition, to ensure supervision in this area, deter violations of the law, and eliminate the violations and the causes and conditions that gave rise to them, prosecutorial influence measures are being taken.

The preliminary investigation continues; additional information on the results will be provided.

Note that a few days ago, as a result of actions carried out by police officers, persons engaged in illegal activities were detained — Fuzuli Rzaguliyev, chairman of the “Azerbaijan Patriotic War Veterans” Public Union; Eldar Ismayilov, head of the “Dede Gorgud” Charity Fund; and Rasim Mammadov, chairman of the “Center for Stability and Development” Public Union. More than 1,500 medals and orders reflecting state-significant special days and memorable events, 421 certificates, over 60 various seals, and other forged items were discovered in the offices of these organizations and seized as material evidence.

A criminal case has been initiated under the Criminal Code article on forgery of official documents, state awards, seals, stamps, and blanks, their unauthorized production, sale, or use of forged documents, and F. Rzaguliyev, E. Ismayilov, and R. Mammadov have been involved in the investigation. Investigative measures in the criminal case continue.