human rights defender

Aykhan Israfilov

Actions and Campaigns

© Voice of America

Organization affiliation

  • Confederation of Workers' Desk Trade Unions

HRD's year of birth

1990

HRD's Gender

Man

Type of HRD

  • Trade union leader

HRD's thematic area of engagement

  • Labour rights

HRD's geographical origin

Urban

HRD's bio and work

Aykhan Israfilov is an Azerbaijani labour rights activist who serves on the board of the Confederation of Workers' Desk Trade Unions. Through this independent organisation, he has supported delivery couriers and other platform workers in defending their rights, improving working conditions and organising collectively.

Israfilov was arrested on 11 August 2023. On 2 April 2024, the Baku Grave Crimes Court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment for possessing a significant quantity of drugs without intent to sell, under Article 234.1-1 of the Criminal Code. The Baku Court of Appeal upheld the sentence on 12 June 2024, followed by the Supreme Court on 11 March 2025.

He consistently denied the accusation and maintained that he was prosecuted because of his trade union activities. Amnesty International described the charge as fabricated and linked his imprisonment to his participation in peaceful courier protests.

On 11 August 2026, Israfilov was released from Penitentiary Institution No. 10 upon completion of his sentence.

Current Status

Released

Detained since

Aug 11, 2023

Date of release

Aug 11, 2026

Charge(s)

  • Possession of illegal material

Sentence

3 years' imprisonment

Latitude: 40.42704478783143

Longitude: 49.89506404966179

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. 10

Allegations / reports of ill-treatment

Aykhan Israfilov alleged that police beat him and threatened to plant a larger quantity of drugs on him unless he confessed to possessing a smaller amount. During pretrial detention, his family reported severe overcrowding, poor ventilation and lighting, and a lack of drinking water and heating, despite his mobility impairment. In April 2026, his relatives reported that a deputy director of Penitentiary Institution No. 10 grabbed him by the neck and beat him after he objected to disrespectful treatment. Israfilov reportedly lost consciousness and retained visible marks on his neck.

Recent case update / evolution

On 11 August 2026, Aykhan Israfilov was released from Penitentiary Institution No. 10 after completing his three-year prison sentence.

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