Islam Huseynov, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora and an advisor to the governor of Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, has been stripped of his Russian citizenship.

The official reason has not yet been announced, and Huseynov himself has declined to comment.

According to RBC sources, the decision was made on October 14 by the Ulyanovsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, based on a request from the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The 56-year-old Huseynov has lived in Ulyanovsk for 20 years and has led the Azerbaijani diaspora since 2005.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarded Huseynov the “Progress” Medal, while the Ulyanovsk regional government honored him with the “Friendship of Peoples” Medal.

Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have remained tense over the past 10 months. The tension began after the December 25, 2024 crash of an AZAL aircraft in Kazakhstan, which killed 38 of the 67 passengers. Baku blamed Moscow for the incident, demanding an apology and compensation. Russia, however, urged patience until the investigation’s results were released.

In June 2025, the deaths of Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg, allegedly as a result of torture, along with injuries to others, were described by Baku as “ethnic pressure.” Pressure on Azerbaijani businessmen in Russia further escalated tensions.

In response, Azerbaijan shut down “Sputnik Azerbaijan”, suspended the operations of the “Russian House”, and arrested several Russian citizens.

On October 9, during a meeting in Dushanbe, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to President Ilham Aliyev over the crash and pledged to pay compensation. The next day, the head of “Sputnik Azerbaijan” was released from custody.

Huseynov had previously faced criminal charges in 2015, accused of large-scale fraud and money laundering related to the acquisition of a municipal land plot. Investigators alleged he purchased the land for 776,000 rubles, despite its market value being 6 million rubles, and began constructing a residential building instead of the promised hotel.

The court found him guilty of fraud but acquitted him on the money-laundering charge. He was sentenced to four years of probation and fined 1 million rubles. Huseynov pleaded not guilty.

There have been two assassination attempts against him: the first in 2009, when the attacker mistakenly injured a Ulyanovsk customs officer and his wife, and the second in 2012, during which Huseynov’s bodyguard was killed.

In 2022, Huseynov was appointed as an advisor to Governor Alexey Russkikh on a voluntary basis.

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The European Court of Human Rights has issued another ruling against the Government of Azerbaijan.

The decision concerns an application filed by journalist Ramin Jabrayilzada (Deko), who is currently in prison, regarding freedom of information.

Ramin Jabrayilzada (Deko) was detained on December 6, 2024, in connection with the “Meydan TV case.”

 He was initially charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons acting in collusion), and a court ordered his pretrial detention.

On August 28, 2025, the charges in the “Meydan TV case” were increased. Currently, 12 people arrested in this case are being charged under seven different articles of the Criminal Code.

In 2012, Jabrayilzada sent a request for information to the Presidential Administration, asking for the following data:

• A list of well-known individuals — artists, athletes, and officials — who had been granted apartments by presidential decrees;
• The financial sources for these apartments;
• Whether the state owned any other housing funds and whether the Baku City Executive Authority had any powers over those funds.

The Presidential Administration did not respond to the journalist’s request.
Jabrayilzada therefore filed a lawsuit, but the domestic courts rejected his claim.
After that, he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.

In its judgment, the European Court stated that the journalist was fulfilling the function of a “public watchdog” and that the requested information was necessary for his professional activities.
The Court further noted that the information sought related to an issue of significant public interest, namely the distribution of state-funded apartments to citizens.

In this case, the Presidential Administration neither determined who held the information, nor forwarded the request to the relevant authority, nor responded to the applicant at all.
The domestic courts failed to address this inaction and merely stated that the journalist had “applied to the wrong authority.”

The Court concluded that the behavior of the Presidential Administration was “not prescribed by law” and constituted an interference with the journalist’s freedom of information.
Accordingly, the European Court found a violation of Articles 10 (freedom of expression) and 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Court also noted that the mere finding of a violation in this case was sufficient compensation for any moral damage the applicant might have suffered, and therefore no monetary compensation was awarded.

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Members of the Founding Board of the Third Republic Platform, Ruslan Izzatli and Akif Gurbanov, who are currently imprisoned in connection with the “Toplum TV case,” have appealed to the president on behalf of Shamshad Agha, the editor-in-chief of argument.az, who is in custody as part of the “Meydan TV case.”

Akif Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzatli were arrested in connection with the “Toplum TV case.”

The arrests related to the “Toplum TV case” began in March 2024.

In total, 10 people have been charged in this case.

Initially, they were accused of smuggling, but the charges were later made more severe.

In their appeal, they called for the release of journalist Shamshad Agha, who remains under arrest:

“As you have repeatedly stated, it is you who determines what happens in the country and when, and it is you who makes the decisions. Even though there has been no court verdict against us and your investigative bodies have yet to ‘prove’ anything, you have, through several public statements, presented us as guilty of crimes that have not been proven, thereby openly showing that you stand behind the persecution against us. Thus, it is evident not only to us but to the entire public of the country and the world that we are facing this persecution by your will. As a result, what has been done to us is inconsistent with the Holy Qur’an, upon which you have sworn, the Constitution of the Republic, and the political and legal ethics of the civilized world.”

It was noted in the appeal that Shamshad Agha’s wife is suffering from a “serious, life-threatening illness” and urgently requires surgery.

“Unfortunately, the surgery carries a life-threatening risk, and doctors cannot provide a clear prognosis—they emphasize that the risk is high. Shamshad Agha’s family consists of four members, including two young children under his care. Under these circumstances, it is vitally necessary for Shamshad Agha, as the head of his family, to be by his wife’s side, to help organize her treatment, and to care for his children.”

Shamshad Agha was arrested on February 5 in connection with a criminal case linked to Meydan TV.

He was charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy), and the court ordered his pre-trial detention.

Currently, 12 people in total are under arrest in connection with this case.

On August 28, 2025, the charges in the “Meydan TV case” were made more severe, with seven additional charges added.

They also emphasized that these persecutions affect the families’ lives:

“We are aware that the unjust persecution we face, whether openly or covertly, also affects our family members, friends, and loved ones. They too are subjected to various hardships. However, we are not going to step back from the principles we have declared or from our path toward establishing the Third Republic in our country. Once again, we bring to your and society’s attention that we will not submit to the ‘One-Man’ regime you have built. We are determined to continue our struggle against your crude, arbitrary, and materialistic system using only peaceful and civil means, based on the law, our moral strength, and our republican ideals.”

The politicians wrote that since the investigation into the “Meydan TV case” has been completed, there are no longer any grounds to claim that Shamshad Agha might influence the case or attempt to flee the country.

“The preliminary investigation in the ‘Meydan TV case’ has already been completed. Therefore, there are no longer any formal reasons to suggest that Shamshad Agha might interfere with the case or try to leave the country. Thus, it is solely within your power to allow Shamshad Agha, at this difficult time, to be with his family, to help with his wife’s treatment, and to care for his children,” they emphasized in their letter.

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