Seven more persons internationally wanted over anti-state calls, religious hatred

Seven more persons have been placed on the international wanted list in connection with public calls against the State and the dissemination of materials containing religious hatred, Report informs, citing a statement by the Press Service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan.

The investigation continues in the criminal case concerning public calls aimed at the forcible change of the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the incitement of hatred and hostility on religious grounds

The Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to take measures, within its statutory powers, to protect the country's constitutional order, public safety, and citizens' rights and freedoms, as well as to prevent manifestations of religious radicalism and extremism.

In this context, on 16 October 2026, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan instituted criminal proceedings under Articles 281.2, 283.2.1 and 167-3.1 of the Criminal Code, and the preliminary investigation was assigned to the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office.

Findings of the preliminary investigation:

The evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation has established reasonable grounds to suspect that a number of persons operating in the Republic of Türkiye prepared and disseminated materials, through various social networks and internet platforms, aimed at the forcible change of the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the forcible seizure of State power in the Republic of Azerbaijan, violence motivated by religious radicalism, and the incitement of religious hatred and hostility.

According to the investigation materials, these statements and posts go beyond the expression of individual religious views or criticism of the activities of State authorities: their content displays indications of calls for violence and for the unlawful change of the State's constitutional order.

In legally assessing these acts, the content of the disseminated materials, the context in which the statements were made, the manner in which they were communicated to the public, their audience, the characteristics of their dissemination and other circumstances were examined.

The evidence gathered at the current stage of the investigation has established reasonable grounds to suspect the following individuals residing and operating in the Republic of Türkiye:

1. Rıdvan Kaya, born in 1961, a contributing writer for Haksöz magazine and the Haksöz Haber website;

2. Zekeriya Ceran, born in 1981, known as Abdullah İmamoğlu, a writer for Köklü Değişim and a presenter on Değişim TV;

3. Fatih Tezcan, born in 1976, founder of the Analiz Merkezi website and creator of the programme Fatih Tezcan'la Analiz Merkezi;

4. Ahmet Şanlı, born in 1971, head of Ahmet Şanlı Hukuk Bürosu;

5. Fahrettin Taşkaya Saral, born in 1971, a researcher;

6. Abdurrahman Tumer, born in 1975, holder of the personal Facebook profile named "Abdurrahman Tumer";

7. Alparslan Tanrıkulu, a moderator and athlete.

These individuals are suspected of having, between 25 September and 18 October, made statements containing religiously radical content on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and other online platforms, advocating the forcible seizure of power and the forcible change of the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as inciting religious hatred and hostility through the use of violence. They are also suspected of having disseminated recordings of those statements, together with numerous photographs, videos and other materials of a similar nature, on online platforms reaching a wide audience, and of having publicly called for such actions.

Furthermore, according to the investigation materials, Rıdvan Kaya made calls for the forcible seizure of power and delivered statements containing religiously radical content during a demonstration held on 3 October 2026 outside the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye. Rıdvan Kaya and Zəkəriyyə Cəran, known as Abdullah İmamoğlu, made similar calls and statements during a demonstration held on 13 October 2026 outside the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye.

Procedural measures taken:

According to the investigation materials, on 19 October 2026, the seven persons concerned were formally charged with offences under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 281.2 (repeated public calls aimed at the forcible seizure of power or the forcible change of the constitutional order in the Republic of Azerbaijan); Article 283.2.1 (incitement of religious hatred and hostility involving the use of violence on the grounds of religious hostility, religious radicalism and religious fanaticism); and Article 167-3.1 (preparation, possession and dissemination of materials calling for religious extremist activity, justifying such activity or vindicating its necessity). On the basis of motions by the investigating authority and submissions by the prosecutor exercising procedural supervision over the preliminary investigation, the Binagadi District Court of Baku ordered their remand in custody in absentia, and they were placed on the international wanted list.

The necessary investigative actions are currently continuing to ensure an objective, complete and comprehensive examination of all the circumstances of the acts attributed to the accused persons, including the content of the calls and the circumstances of their dissemination; to establish the authorship of the relevant materials; to collect and verify electronic evidence; and to establish other circumstances relevant to the criminal case.

At the same time, international legal assistance and cooperation mechanisms are being used to carry out the necessary measures in the criminal case, and coordination is being maintained with the relevant competent authorities of the Republic of Türkiye and other partner States.

Appeal by the Prosecutor General's Office

The Prosecutor General's Office reiterates that the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees everyone's freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought and expression, and the right to express their social and political views by lawful means. At the same time, the exercise of these rights and freedoms provides no legal basis for public calls for the forcible seizure of State power, the violent change of the constitutional order, the incitement of religious hatred and hostility, or religious extremist activity.

The preparation and dissemination of calls of this nature through internet resources, social networks, video platforms and other electronic means of communication entail liability.

Information concerning unlawful acts directed against the constitutional order and public safety of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as acts promoting violence and hostility on religious grounds, is being investigated. The appropriate procedural measures prescribed by law will be taken against the persons concerned, regardless of their citizenship, country of residence, public status or the information platform they use.