11:57, 9 February 2026

The number of people pardoned in Azerbaijan has exceeded 15,000

The arrest of an activist. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

Over the past month and a half, 15,119 people have benefited from the large-scale amnesty announced by the Azerbaijani president, the Ministry of Justice reported.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," the amnesty law began to be implemented in Azerbaijan on December 22, 2025. According to authorities, the amnesty, which will affect approximately 20,000 people, will take four months .

On December 15, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev submitted an amnesty act to parliament. The initiative coincides with the "Year of Constitution and Sovereignty" declared in Azerbaijan in 2025 and the restoration of the country's sovereignty over its entire territory, according to the authorities. Parliament passed the corresponding law. Local activists welcomed the amnesty initiative but noted that it would not resolve the issue of political prisoners.

From December 22, 2025 to February 8, 15,119 people were granted amnesty, APA reported today.

According to the Ministry of Justice's response to the agency's inquiry, 5,148 of those granted amnesty were released from further imprisonment, and 8,914 were released from non-custodial sentences. The sentences of 1,045 people sentenced to imprisonment were reduced by six months, and another 12 were released from criminal liability.

1,216 of those granted amnesty were convicted of crimes that did not pose a great public danger, 849 were convicted of serious crimes, and 13,054 were convicted of less serious crimes, the Ministry of Justice reported.

Among those pardoned were 14,345 men (including 18 minors) and 774 women. The amnesty act is still being implemented, the publication states.

As a reminder, 52 political prisoners were granted amnesty and released from prison by January 5 , Arif Yunusov, head of the Institute of Peace and Democracy's Department of Conflict and Migration, told the "Caucasian Knot."

The amnesty affected only 10% of the total number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, all of whom were believers convicted on trumped-up charges amid the escalation of tensions with Iran and who now have less than six months left in prison , human rights activists indicated in December 2025.

On January 15, the Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan published a new national list of political prisoners, including 340 names. Over the past four months, the number of political prisoners has decreased , primarily due to the amnesty act. However, politically motivated arrests continued during this period, human rights activists noted.

Ilham Aliyev initiated the previous large-scale amnesty in November 2021. Human rights activists suggested at the time that the amnesty, which would cover more than 15,000 people, would not extend to political prisoners .

In 2024, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan exceeded 300 for the first time since the early 2000s. In June 2025, the updated list already included 375 people, and in October - 392 .

The largest increase in prison population occurred over the past year, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report " Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan ." However, Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420646

Author: Caucasian Knot