Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Azerbaijan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Special Watch List

Azerbaijan

Updated September 2023

Shi’a Muslim Activists

Shi’a Muslim religious activists who are members of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM) are frequently targeted with 

fabricated charges of drug possession or drug trafficking. Human rights defenders characterize the government’s targeting of 

MUM members as politically motivated due to the group’s criticism of official religious policies.

Shahin Gadirov

religion or belief:

Shi’a Muslim

arrested:

November 23, 2022

nature of charges:

Drug Trafficking 

reason for persecution:

Religious Association

Razi Humbatov

religion or belief:

Shi’a Muslim

arrested:

July 7, 2021

sentence:

6 Years’ Imprisonment

reports of torture:

Yes 

reason for persecution:

Online Activity, Religious Association

Ahsan Nuruzade

religion or belief:

Shi’a Muslim

arrested:

October 6, 2017

sentence:

7 Years’ Imprisonment

nature of charges:

Drug Trafficking

reason for persecution:

Religious Association

Elshan Abbasov

religion or belief:

Shi’a Muslim

arrested:

March 3, 2022

nature of charges:

Drug Trafficking 

reason for persecution:

Religious Association, Religious Instruction 

and Teaching

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The government periodically detains and imprisons Jehovah’s Witnesses who conscientiously object to mandatory military 

service in accordance with their religious beliefs. Although the Azerbaijani constitution permits a civilian alternative, authorities 

have not offered one in practice.

FoRB Victims List Stats

11 out of 2,125

Religion or Belief # of Victims

Shi’a 9

Jehovah’s Witnesses 2

Total 11

Type of Abuse # of Victims

Imprisoned 7

Detained 4

Total 11

Average Prison Sentence

8 Years

Reports of # of Victims

Torture 2

Medical Neglect 0

Total 2
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Azerbaijan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Special Watch List

Azerbaijan

Updated September 2023

Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List Background

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), as amended by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, 

requires USCIRF to:

make publicly available, to the extent practicable...lists of persons it determines are imprisoned or detained, have 

disappeared, been placed under house arrest, been tortured, or subjected to forced renunciation of faith for their religious 

activity or religious freedom advocacy by the government of a foreign country that the Commission recommends for 

designation as a country of particular concern [CPC]...or by a nonstate actor that the Commission recommends for 

designation as an entity of particular concern [EPC]. 

USCIRF developed the Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List—an online public database—to implement this 

provision for countries USCIRF recommends for Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or Special Watch List (SWL) status. The list also 

includes such victims located in the de facto territories of nonstate actors that USCIRF recommends for Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) 

status, according to the same criteria.

Due to limited resources, USCIRF is unable to identify and document all victims that meet the statutory requirement to be included on 

the FoRB Victims List and generally relies on receiving submissions from outside individuals and organizations. As such, the information 

contained in the database does not reflect country, regional, or global trends. Furthermore, percentages highlighted in this section should 

not be used for extrapolation purposes nor interpreted as a particular group experiencing greater violations than another or a particular 

country committing violations at a greater rate than others. To support this project, USCIRF invites those with credible information on 

victims to submit information using the Victims List Intake Form at www.uscirf.gov/form/uscirf-victims-list-intake-form. 

FoRB Victims List Stats Overall

Perpetrator Victims Documented

Algeria 5

Azerbaijan 11

Burma 5

China 770

Cuba 11

Egypt 18

Eritrea 50

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) 2

Houthis 3

India 55

Indonesia 8

Iran 339

Iraq 2

Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) 1

Kazakhstan 15

Malaysia 4

Nicaragua 15

Nigeria 9

North Korea 9

Pakistan 90

Russia 449

Saudi Arabia 46

Sri Lanka 1

Tajikistan 13

Turkmenistan 30

Uzbekistan 87

Vietnam 77

Total 2,125

Religion or Belief Victims Documented

Adivasi 1

Baha’i 163

Bon 1

Buddhist – Hoa Hao 6

Buddhist – Theravada 3

Buddhist – Tibetan 76

Buddhist – Unspecified/Other 28

Christian – Catholic 46

Christian – Church of Almighty God 236

Christian – Jehovah’s Witness 258

Christian – Orthodox 17

Christian – Protestant 130

Christian – Unspecified/Other 66

Duong Van Minh 4

ECKist (Eckankar) 1

Erfan-e Halgheh Practitioner 2

Falun Gong 213

Hindu 10

Humanist 1

Jewish 1

Muslim – Ahmadiyya 23

Muslim – Qur’anist 1

Muslim – Shi’a 39

Muslim – Sufi 63

Muslim – Sunni 385

Muslim – Unspecified/Other 237

Santeria 5

Scientologist 1

Shaman 1

Sikh 1

Yarsani 37

Unknown/Unspecified 69

Total 2,125
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Azerbaijan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Special Watch List

Azerbaijan

Updated September 2023

Not Released

Elshan Abbasov

Shahin Gadirov

Shamkhal Eyvazov

Ahsan Nuruzade

Razi Humbatov

Released

Royal Karimov

Elshan Mustafaoglu

Movsum Samadov

Seymur Mammadov

Unknown

Abqul Suleymanov

Elvin Muradov