The family of Azerbaijan’s detained pro-democracy opposition leader has claimed that the regime is “deliberately trying to break him” by denying him safe drinking water in prison, amid growing concern over his physical condition. Ali Karimli, 61, faces life in prison on “politically motivated” treason charges after being arrested in November and accused of plotting to overthrow the government in a Russian-backed coup. He has vehemently denied the charges and is awaiting trial.
His family have raised concerns about his physical state after he spoke with international media from prison in June to appeal for Western governments to put human rights before trade ties with Azerbaijan. Speaking at the Baku Court of Appeal earlier this month, Mr Karimli sought to replace his pre-trial detention status with house arrest and claimed that his conditions in prison had worsened in recent weeks, according to his lawyers. He said that for two days he had been denied water that he could safely consume and that he believes the authorities are deliberately trying to make him ill and cause his death.
Mr Karimli says that he is unable to drink the tap water offered to him to due to a gall bladder condition. Sezan Karimli, his daughter, told The Independent that her father has not been allowed direct contact with the family since June, has been denied food parcels from them, and has spent weeks without ventilation in 30-35C heat. She said Mr Karimli has been deprived of sleep for weeks and is no longer allowed to exercise, to go outside or to read books or newspapers in prison.
His rubbish has not been removed for weeks, she said. What motivated it is not complicated: he kept speaking, and this is the punishment,” she assessed. Mr Karimli is a long-standing proponent of democracy in Azerbaijan and has continued to speak out against alleged rights abuses, including torture, under the government of Ilham Aliyev.
Rights groups say a focused crackdown has targeted Mr Karimli’s Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) since late 2025. That comes amid a wider silencing of dissent and free expression over the last decade that has seen the arrest of hundreds of journalists, activists and political opponents. Giorgi Gogia, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, told The Independent that they have seen no credible evidence to substantiate the charge that Mr Karimli was involved in an attempt to violently seize power.
The reported sleep deprivation, isolation from his family, restrictions on telephone calls and access to information raise serious concerns about Karimli’s inhuman or degrading treatment.” Mr Karimli’s lawyers have observed that he appears to have lost “significant weight” in recent weeks, is visibly distressed and has “a markedly yellow complexion and red eyes”. She said: “A government confident in its charges brings them to trial, whereas one that holds a man for eight months without trial while degrading his conditions is not building a case, it is applying pressure.” The pre-trial detention has now been extended to November but no trial date has been set. Ms Karimli said the coming weeks are a “critical window” for her father, who faces a potential life sentence in prison.
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