Asaf Ahmadov is a civil society leader and community activist who has worked for many years in the Ganja region. He is the Chairperson of the Ganja Regional Community Centre, through which he has been involved in community development, social initiatives and the protection of citizens’ rights. He previously served as the Ganja regional coordinator of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), contributing to independent election observation and the promotion of citizens’ political participation.

Asaf Ahmadov and other local civil society representatives have faced pressure connected with their independent activities. In 2011, the office used by EMDS’s Ganja branch was reportedly vacated without prior notice following an instruction from the local executive authorities. On 9 April 2025, Ahmadov was arrested as part of the reopened “NGO case”, a broad criminal investigation targeting Azerbaijani civil society representatives and organisations associated with foreign funding. He was charged with money laundering, abuse of official powers and official forgery. Ahmadov denied the allegations, describing the prosecution as selective and intended to silence his civil society work. On 17 June 2026, the Ganja Court for Grave Crimes sentenced him to eight years’ imprisonment. The Ganja Court of Appeal subsequently upheld his conviction and eight-year prison sentence.

He was convicted on multiple criminal charges, including money laundering, tax evasion, and other alleged financial and economic offences. He rejected all charges, maintaining that the criminal proceedings against him are politically motivated and linked to his legitimate and professional works within civil society. International organisations recognise him as a political prisoner.