Employment growth is set to outstrip GDP over the next two years and inflation is set to decelerate, Istat said on Friday in its outlook for 2025 and 2026, Azernews reports, citing ANSA.
Day: June 6, 2025
In the complex world of global finance, economic resilience often speaks louder than rapid expansion. For Azerbaijan, a country strategically navigating both regional dynamics and economic modernization, the latest data from the Central Bank tells a quiet but powerful story of prudence and stability. As of May 1st, the external liabilities of Azerbaijani banks stood at 2.369 billion manats (approximately $1.39 billion), marking a decrease of 215.8 million manats ($127 million) since the beginning of the year.
This week, economist Fazil Qasimov remains on a prolonged hunger strike protesting his imprisonment, political activist Elvin Mustafayev faces ongoing solitary confinement as his case awaits court review, and Azerbaijani authorities have issued arrest warrants against several exiled government critics.
Fazil Gasimov continues his hunger strike
Fazil Gasimov, an Azerbaijani economist and PhD student at Istanbul University, is currently on a prolonged hunger strike in protest of his imprisonment. He was detained in Turkey and extradited to Azerbaijan in connection with the criminal case against opposition economist Gubad Ibadoghlu.
On March 13, 2025, Gasimov was sentenced to nine years in prison under charges of producing or selling counterfeit currency as part of an organized group. He denies all accusations, calling the charges fabricated and politically motivated.
According to his family, Gasimov began his second hunger strike on May 10, 2025, and as of June 6, he has been refusing food for 27 days, consuming only water. Since May 21, he has been held in solitary confinement (“karser”), and authorities have reportedly told him he will only be released from this punishment if he ends the hunger strike—something he has refused to do.
His brother reports that Gasimov’s health is deteriorating rapidly: he is suffering from kidney pain, frequent blackouts, and can barely stand. Despite his condition, medical care has been minimal—limited to having his blood pressure checked. Gasimov is being held in the Umbaki Penal Facility, and his next court hearing is scheduled for June 17 at the Baku Court of Appeal.
The case against him is tied to that of Gubad Ibadoghlu, who was also charged in 2023 with currency-related crimes and possession of extremist religious materials. Ibadoghlu, who also denies the charges, was released from prison and placed under house arrest in April 2024.
Court reviews imprisoned activist Elvin Mustafayev’s case
Elvin Mustafayev, currently serving a prison sentence in a high-security facility, is the subject of a recent court submission regarding the transfer of his imprisonment to the strict-regime Gobustan Prison until August 4, 2026. The Nizami District Court is scheduled to review this case on June 12, 2025.
Mustafayev’s lawyer, Zibeyda Sadıkova, reported that she attempted to visit him on June 4 at Prison No. 6 but was denied access by the prison chief, who claimed Mustafayev was in solitary confinement. Sadıkova has filed complaints with the Penitentiary Service and the Ombudsman regarding this issue. Mustafayev was placed in solitary confinement after beginning a hunger strike on May 6, 2025, demanding the release of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu and other political prisoners. Although he was later transferred to Prison No. 6, he remains in solitary confinement and is not allowed visits from family or his lawyer. He is scheduled for release on June 29, 2025.
Elvin Mustafayev was arrested on August 4, 2023, and convicted on January 31, 2024, under Article 234.1-1 of the Criminal Code for drug trafficking, receiving a three-year prison sentence. He denies the charges, claiming he was given drugs against his will.
Mustafayev is one of four members of the “İşçi Masası” Trade Union Confederation, established in 2022 to protect workers’ rights in Azerbaijan, who are currently imprisoned. Although facing different charges, all four maintain that the accusations against them are politically motivated and fabricated.
Azerbaijan issues arrest warrants for exiled critics
In June 2025, Azerbaijani courts issued in-absentia arrest warrants for several exiled bloggers, journalists, and public figures, accusing them under various articles of the country’s Criminal Code. On June 2, the Binagadi District Court approved warrants for Tural Sadigli (residing in Germany), charged under Article 178.3.1 (fraud by an organized group), Article 220.2 (incitement to mass unrest), and Article 320 (forgery of documents). Ordukhan Temirkhan (a Dutch citizen) was charged under Article 220.2 and Article 281.2 (open provocation against the state). Elshad Abdullayev (a former university rector living in France) was charged under Article 311.1 (bribery), Article 213.1 (tax evasion), and Article 130.1 (illegal organ trafficking).
The same court also issued warrants for journalist Ganimat Zahid (editor-in-chief of Azadlig), columnist Natig Adilov, and former police officer Emin Ahmedbeyov, who is now a host on the France-based YouTube channel “Azerbaijan Hour.” All three are known government critics living in France.
On June 3, the Binagadi District Court issued additional arrest warrants for bloggers Imameddin Alimanov, Suleyman Suleymanli, Elshad Mammadov, Mahammad Mirzali, Qabil Mammadov, Orkhan Agayev, and Qurban Mammadov. These individuals are accused under Article 220.2 (calls for mass disorder and disobedience to authorities) and Article 281.1 (calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and dissemination of such content).According to Azerbaijani authorities, all of the accused used social media and online platforms to publish materials calling for mass protests and resistance against the government. These recent court decisions are part of an ongoing campaign that began in March 2025, when the Prosecutor General’s Office summoned multiple exiled critics for investigation into a range of criminal allegations.
The post Friday Wrap-up: Fazil Qasimov’s hunger strike continues, Elvin Mustafayev faces solitary confinement, and Azerbaijani courts issue arrest warrants for exiled critics appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
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Moscow Calling – June 6
Zelenskyy is corrupt, propaganda says
The Russian propaganda outlet EADaily reports on another “multi-million dollar purchase” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This time, according to the outlet, Zelenskyy bought a $3.2 million apartment in the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai for his mother’s birthday. The publication cites a report on the Telegram channel “Voice of Mordor,” which, in turn, claims that the information was disseminated by the Saudi Arabian state channel Al Arabiya, whose journalists found this very apartment in the real estate registry of the world’s tallest building in the neighboring UAE. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian propaganda has periodically spread reports about the Ukrainian president’s multi-million dollar purchases, including expensive real estate, jewelry worth millions, and cars, citing social media posts or recently created so-called media outlets in foreign countries. As a rule, these reports are not confirmed by fact-checkers from various countries (EADaily).
Lt. Gen. Alaudinov says Russian troops avoid storming cities
Based on the experience gained during the war with Ukraine, the Russian military command has abandoned the assault on large cities, EADaily reports, referring to a post on the Telegram channel by Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces unit and deputy chief of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense. “The situation, forms, and methods of warfare have completely changed and are dictating a new strategy to us. We do not need to enter all major cities and lose a huge number of fighters,” Alaudinov said. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Russian troops have not been able to capture a single regional center in battle. They briefly occupied Kherson, entering the city without a fight after Ukrainian forces withdrew, and under enemy assault withdrew “to regroup their forces”.
Lavrov wants to restore the rights of Russian-speakers
While Russian troops continue to attack Ukrainian settlements and bomb civilians in various cities across the country, the Russian foreign minister is still concerned about the rights of Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine. “Russia will not abandon Russians and Russian-speaking people in trouble and will ensure that their legitimate rights, including the right to speak their native language, are fully restored,” he said. According to him, resolving the language issue in Ukraine is necessary for achieving long-term peace. Notably, there is no legislative ban on the Russian language in Ukraine. In everyday life, many Russian-speaking Ukrainians are actively learning and using Ukrainian precisely after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a sign of protest (Lenta.ru).
Poll: Russians trust Putin
According to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation, most Russians have a positive opinion of President Vladimir Putin’s performance: 82% rated it “good”, while 81% said they trust the head of state. Only 10% of respondents expressed distrust, RIA Novosti reports. It is difficult to say how much trust can be placed in the results of this poll, given the large-scale repression in the country and the brutal suppression of dissent, but many observers, including bloggers and experts, citing their own experience of communicating with Russians on the Internet, tend to agree that despite the ongoing war and sanctions against Russia, the majority of Russians support their leader and his decisions. According to the poll, if elections to the State Duma were held next Sunday, 43% would vote for United Russia, 9% for the LDPR, 7% for the CPRF, 4% for New People, and 3% for Just Russia. The poll was conducted from May 30 to June 1, 2025, among 1,500 people in 51 regions of the Russian Federation (ria.ru).
State Duma Speaker Blames Europeans for Zelenskyy
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has once again taken to his Telegram channel to remind everyone that it is the parliaments of Europe that should take the blame for Vladimir Zelenskyy’s actions. According to the speaker, it is they who, either silently or enthusiastically, encourage the Ukrainian president and are therefore responsible for what is happening. “The parliaments of European states must realize their responsibility for Zelenskyy’s actions, which he is taking largely with their approval or tacit consent,” he wrote. According to him, “Zelenskyy, having lost his legitimacy and fighting for personal power, has made terrorism the state ideology of the Kyiv regime.” Volodin promised that “someone will have to answer” for the deaths of civilians. However, he left unanswered the questions of who, when, and how (INTERFAX.RU).
Tbilisi City Court sent activist Ucha Kemashvili to ten days of administrative detention for disobeying police orders, but the activist and his supporters believe the arrest is linked to Kemashvili burning the ruling party’s flag outside the parliament building.
Kemashvili was initially detained on May 26 in the outskirts of Tbilisi while heading to his sister’s home from an Independence Day rally downtown at the parliament, where he demonstratively burned the flag of the Georgian Dream party. The activist’s sister, who attributed her brother’s arrest to the flag burning, said around 25 people approached Kemashvili near her apartment building before he was taken into custody. She said police followed him while he took public transport.
Kemashvili was released on May 28 as the initial court hearing was postponed. Following his initial release, the activist told TV Pirveli that police brought up the flag burning during the detention, but since it’s not considered an offence under local laws, he was charged with police disobedience (Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code). Kemashvili referred to the Georgian Dream flag as a “flag of a terrorist organization.”
Kemashvili actively participates in anti-government protests and is often seen distributing alucha (a green plum native to Georgia) to demonstrators.
Kemashvili was sent to detention because “he has been handing out alucha during rallies, because he burned some fabric,” Lasha Tkemaladze, Kemashvili’s lawyer, told journalists after the court hearing. Since the activist couldn’t be detained for that, the lawyer added, “they trumped up some case against him as if he resisted dozens of police officers near his home.”
Also Read:
- Liveblog: Resistance | Court Sentences Activist to 10 Days in Administrative Detention
- 06/06/2025 – Georgian Dream to Sue Critics Over “Insults” on Social Media
- 31/05/2025 – Court Sends Students to 12-Day Detention for Allegedly Insulting MP
- 02/06/2025 – Court Jails Two for Three Years for Camera Damage During Protests