human rights defender
Mahammad Kekalov
Actions and Campaigns
© Akinchi
Urgent support needed
International monitoring of prison conditions
Organization affiliation
- Abzas Media
HRD's year of birth
2001
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
- Social and community leader
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Disability rights
- Fight against corruption
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
HRD's bio and work
Mahammad Kekalov is a civic activist, social entrepreneur and disability-inclusion advocate who worked as a project coordinator at Abzas Media.
He co-founded KEKALOVE Adaptive, a social enterprise producing accessible clothing for persons with disabilities and people with non-standard body types.
As project coordinator at Abzas Media, Kekalov contributed to the institutional work of an independent outlet known for investigating high-level corruption and reporting on human-rights violations. On 20 November 2023, police detained him in connection with the criminal case against Abzas Media.
He was convicted on multiple criminal charges, including money laundering, tax evasion, and other alleged financial and economic offences. He and his co-defendants have consistently rejected all charges, maintaining that the criminal proceedings against them are politically motivated and linked to their legitimate and professional works within media. International organisations recognise him as a political prisoner.
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
Detained since
Nov 20, 2023
Charge(s)
- Financial crimes
Sentence
Seven years and six months’ imprisonment
Latitude: 40.4135629153247
Longitude: 49.908313751857925
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Baku
Location of detention - Facility
Penitentiary Institution No. 6
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Following his detention on 20 November 2023, Kekalov’s whereabouts were not officially confirmed for approximately 48 hours. During this period, he was reportedly held incommunicado and pressured to waive the services of the lawyer retained by his family.
He initially had no access to his chosen lawyer. Reports also indicate that during the first three months of detention, the Abzas Media defendants were denied family visits and telephone communication with their lawyers.
Recent case update / evolution
On 3 April 2026, the Supreme Court did not grant Mahammad Kekalov’s cassation appeal and upheld his sentence of seven years and six months’ imprisonment in the Abzas Media case.
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