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Verdict delivered in case of Manaf Jalilzadeh accused of anti-state calls

04 March 2026 16:55 (UTC +04:00)

The final court hearing has been held in the criminal case against Manaf Jalilzade, who is accused of making open calls against the state, APA reports.

The verdict was read in absentia today at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, chaired by Judge Ayten Aliyeva.

According to the verdict, Manaf Jalilzada was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Note that a decision was made to bring Manaf Jalilzade as an accused under Article 281.2 of the Criminal Code. He was declared wanted for charges to be brought against him because he escaped from the investigation and hid outside the borders of Azerbaijan. By a decision of the Binagadi District Court dated February 15 of the past year, he was placed under preventive detention in absentia.

On September 19, 2025, a decision was made to charge Manaf Jalilzade as an accused under Articles 220.2 and 281.2 of the Criminal Code, adding additions and changes to the content of the accusation.

On February 17, 2019, he, acting as part of a group of persons who had conspired in advance with Suleyman Suleymanli, Tofig Mehmanov and others, filmed the open calls made by Mehman Mammadov and others aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan in a pre-arranged manner in a public place near the United Nations Office in Geneva, in the city of Geneva of the Swiss Confederation and by posting live on the YouTube platform on a channel named “Diktator TV” made open calls encouraging the use of violence against the existing government in Azerbaijan that had been formed and operates on legal grounds. Later, from January 19, 2023, to June 17, 2025, through 19 different video appeals he prepared, he disseminated open calls that caused disruption of public order and tranquility and security, aimed at paralyzing government authorities and attempting to influence the will of people.

The accused was warned that in absentia proceedings may be initiated, an in absentia verdict and other court decisions may be issued.