The ECHR awarded compensation to Mirkadirov and Ahmedli.

The European Court of Human Rights recognized violations of the rights of journalist Rauf Mirkadirov and activist Fuad Ahmedli and ordered the authorities of Azerbaijan to pay them a total of 8000 euros in compensation.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in December 2015, a court in Baku found Azerbaijani journalist Rauf Mirkadirov guilty of treason and sentenced him to six years in prison, while in March 2016, the appellate court replaced the actual term with a five-year suspended sentence. In September 2020, the ECHR recognized violations of Mirkadirov's rights during his arrest and detention.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued decisions on the complaints of journalist Rauf Mirkadirov and activist Fuad Ahmedli on October 6 and 8. The court ruled that Azerbaijan must pay the applicants a total of eight thousand euros in compensation and legal costs, reported lawyer Fariz Namazly, whose words were quoted by Meydan TV on October 9.

According to Namazly, regarding Mirkadirov's complaint, the ECHR found a violation of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial. The court awarded the journalist 3600 euros in compensation for moral damage.

In Ahmedli's case, the ECHR found violations of paragraph 3 of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the justification for detention, and paragraph 2 of Article 6 regarding the presumption of innocence. The court concluded that the national courts did not provide sufficient grounds for Ahmedli's detention, and the statements of state authorities from August 19 and 23, 2016, violated his right to the presumption of innocence. The court decided that the authorities of Azerbaijan must pay Ahmedli 3900 euros in compensation for moral damage and 500 euros in legal costs, Namazly reported.

The European Court separately assessed the transcript of Mirkadirov's conversation, which was used as one of the pieces of evidence against him. "The transcript of the applicant's conversation <...> appears so fragmented and unclear that it could not reasonably be used to assert the disclosure of sensitive information <...>", the ECHR stated in its decision published on October 6 on the court's website.

The ECHR also noted that Azerbaijani courts accepted materials from the then Ministry of National Security as established facts without considering Mirkadirov's objections and without independently examining the documents on which the agency's claims were based. The court concluded that Mirkadirov was deprived of a real opportunity to challenge the evidence used against him, according to the ECHR's statement.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the ECHR periodically finds violations of the rights of journalists and activists in Azerbaijan. For instance, in January 2026, the court recognized the unlawful criminal prosecution of journalist Khadija Ismayilova and awarded her 16,000 euros in compensation. In September 2025, the ECHR awarded additional compensation to Azerbaijani activists Mamed Azizov and Shahin Novruzlu.