Civic activist Anar Abdulla has been sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention, his relatives told Abzas Media.

On 11 July, the Binagadi District Court found Abdulla guilty under Articles 510 (minor hooliganism) and 535.1 (disobedience to lawful police orders) of Azerbaijan’s Code of Administrative Offences.

Speaking in court, Abdulla said he was detained after getting off a bus on Ataturk Avenue, and denied committing any administrative offence.

No comment was available from the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the time of publication.

Abdulla is also involved in a criminal case alongside Anar Mammadli, the head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre (EMDS). He faces charges relating to eight financial crimes, including smuggling, and is currently under police supervision as a preventive measure.

Since November 2023, Azerbaijan has witnessed what observers describe as the second major wave of arrests targeting media and civil society in the past decade. Independent journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition activists have been detained or summoned for questioning under various criminal charges.

Those detained say the arrests are politically motivated and the charges are fabricated.

According to local human rights organisations, there are currently more than 370 political prisoners in Azerbaijan - a figure the government disputes. Officials deny that individuals are prosecuted for their political views or that political prisoners exist in the country.