Mammad Alpay is a human rights defender, election-monitoring specialist and civil society activist who has worked on election observation, democratic participation and civic initiatives since around 2010. He is the Executive Director of the Election Monitoring Alliance, which advocates for free and independent electoral processes through election monitoring and civic engagement.

On 14 March 2025, Mammad Alpay was arrested in a different proceeding, the reopened so-called “NGO case”, a broader criminal investigation targeting Azerbaijani civil society organisations and activists, particularly those connected with foreign donor funding. He was initially charged with money laundering, abuse of official powers and official forgery, with the indictment subsequently expanded to additional financial and related offences.

He was charged with multiple offences, including money laundering, tax evasion, and other alleged financial and economic offences. He has consistently 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.