The Nizami District Court in Baku has ruled to transfer Elvin Mustafayev, a member of the “Labor Desk” (İşçi Masası) trade union platform, to Gobustan high-security prison for a period of six months.
According to Tural Farzili, a board member of “Labor Desk,” the decision was made based on a request from the administration of Prison No. 6, where Mustafayev is currently held. While the administration sought to keep Mustafayev in Gobustan until the end of his sentence, the court approved a six-month transfer instead.
Elvin Mustafayev was placed in solitary confinement in early May 2025 after beginning a hunger strike demanding the release of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu and other political prisoners. He was later transferred to Prison No. 6.
“This verdict is yet another attempt to silence a young man who refuses to submit to the regime and continues to fight injustice,” Tural Farzili wrote on Facebook. “Elvin was imprisoned on politically motivated charges and has been subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in custody. We demand freedom for Elvin Mustafayev.”
Mustafayev was arrested on August 4, 2023, and sentenced to three years in prison on January 31, 2024, by the Baku Serious Crimes Court for alleged drug possession and distribution — charges he denies, claiming the drugs were planted as part of a political setup.
The “Labor Desk” Confederation of Trade Unions was founded in 2022 to defend workers’ rights in Azerbaijan. Four of its members — Chairperson Afiyaddin Mammadov, Aykhan Israfilov, Elvin Mustafayev, and Möhüddin Orucov — are currently imprisoned. All four deny the charges against them and say they are being persecuted for their activism.
Azərbaycan dili 
English (UK)