In a troubling escalation of digital repression, Azerbaijani human rights defender Elchin Mammad, currently living in exile in Germany, has had his Facebook account suspended — just days after losing control of his long-established X (formerly Twitter) profile.
On July 17, Mammad received a notification from Facebook stating that his account was suspended due to alleged violations of the platform’s community standards related to cybersecurity. The message, which appears in Turkish, informs him that he has 180 days to appeal the decision before the account is permanently deleted.
“My Facebook account was suspended without warning, just like my Twitter account was erased last week,” Mammad said. “This is not a coincidence — it’s a clear pattern of digital targeting and silencing of critical voices from exile.”
Mammad had used both platforms to document human rights violations in Azerbaijan, support political prisoners, and share updates from his independent platform HumanRightsAZ.com. The recent Facebook suspension now leaves him further disconnected from his followers and advocacy networks.
Last week, Mammad’s verified Twitter account, @ElchRights, was mysteriously replaced by a new blank account under the handle @HumanDefen14699, with all previous tweets and followers erased. The sudden disappearance of his digital identity sparked concerns among rights defenders and observers of authoritarian transnational repression.
“This is more than a technical glitch. It appears to be an orchestrated attempt to erase my digital presence,” Mammad stated. “Social media is not just a communication tool — for many of us in exile, it is our only platform to resist censorship and advocate for justice.”
Digital rights watchdogs have long warned that authoritarian regimes are increasingly turning to digital harassment, hacking, and platform manipulation to suppress dissent beyond their borders.
Mammad has contacted Facebook support to contest the suspension and is also seeking assistance through digital rights networks such as Access Now and Front Line Defenders.
He urges international platforms to implement stronger protections for human rights defenders in exile, whose online presence is often their last remaining lifeline to global solidarity.
“We are witnessing how authoritarianism is evolving — from prison cells to pixels,” Mammad concludes. “But even if they delete our accounts, they will not silence our message.”
HumanRightsAZ.com will continue to monitor and report on these cases of digital censorship and transnational repression.
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Azərbaycan dili