Ulvi Hasanli (full name: Ulvi Fakhraddin oglu Hasanov, Azerbaijani: Ülvi Fəxrəddin oğlu Həsənov; born; August 10, 1987, Ganja) — Azerbaijani political activist, media professional, political prisoner, and the director of Abzas Media.
He has been involved in political and civic processes since 2005. Over the years, he served as: Chairman of the youth movement Wave (Dalğa) (2006–2007), Co-founder and chairman of the organization Free Youth (Azad Gəncliк) (2011–2013), Member of the board of the NIDA Civic Movement (2014–2015, 2017–2018, and 2019–2020). Throughout his political activity, Hasanli has been subjected to continuous persecution by the Azerbaijani authorities. He repeatedly organized and participated in rallies, protests, and pickets. In October 2012, he was sentenced to 7 days of administrative detention, and in September 2013, to 15 days of detention. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that both arrests were politically motivated. In 2017, Hasanli was detained by military police and illegally conscripted into military service.
In 2016, he co-founded Abzas Media. Since 2022, he has been actively engaged in journalism as the outlet’s director. Abzas Media is known for its investigative reporting into the business activities of government officials, members of parliament, and state-affiliated figures, particularly regarding tender contracts and corruption during reconstruction works in Karabakh after 2020.
Ulvi Hasanli was detained by police in the morning of 20 November 2023. After being interrogated at the Main Police Department of Baku, he was charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (smuggling committed by a group of persons). On 21 November 2023, by decision of the Khatai District Court, he was placed under arrest. On 16 August 2024, the charges in the criminal case investigated by the Main Police Department of Baku were aggravated. Hasanli and other defendants were charged under seven articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan: Articles 192.3.2, 193-1.3.1, 193-1.3.2, 206.4, 320.1, and 320.2. These charges include: illegal entrepreneurship generating large income, money laundering committed by an organized group, smuggling committed by an organized group, forgery of documents and use of forged documents.
Numerous local and international human rights organizations condemned the arrest of Ulvi Hasanli, calling it politically motivated, and urged the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release him.
On 20 June 2025, the Baku Serious Crimes Court sentenced him to 9 years of imprisonment.
Early life Ulvi Fakhraddin oglu Hasanli was born on 10 August 1987 in the city of Kirovabad (now Ganja).
In 2005, he graduated from secondary school No. 29 named after K. Ushinsky in Ganja and enrolled in the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. In 2006, he was expelled from the academy due to his socio-political activity.
From 2008 to 2013, he studied at the Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University.
Political activity Hasanli became involved in civic activism at a young age. In 2005, he joined the youth movement Dalğa (Wave). In 2006, he was elected chairman of the movement and held this position until 2007.
On 22 July 2007, he organized a youth protest titled "Let’s Support Free Press", which consisted of mass newspaper reading and was peaceful in nature. The aim was to draw public attention to the importance of supporting independent media in Azerbaijan. The protest was dispersed by police.
In January 2011, Hasanli became a co-founder and chairman of Free Youth (Azad Gənclik). He resigned from this position in September 2013.
In June 2013, he became a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces, established ahead of the presidential elections.
In September 2013, he joined the NIDA Civic Movement and was elected to its board in 2014, serving until February 2015, and later again in 2017–2018 and 2019–2020.
In May 2022, Hasanli was a member of the organizing committee of the protest "We Do Not Want a Criminal State!", held on 14 May 2022 at Fountain Square. Several hours before the protest, he was detained by police and released in the evening.
In 2022, he left the NIDA movement due to his active journalistic work.
In August 2025, Hasanli was announced as one of three nominees for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.
Administrative arrests (2012 and 2013) On 20 October 2012, Ulvi Hasanli was detained by police while participating in a protest titled “Dissolve the Parliament!”, held at Fountain Square and demanding the dissolution of the parliament. By decision of the Sabail District Court, Hasanli was sentenced to 7 days of administrative detention. He was released on 27 October 2012. On 20 July 2017, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment on the complaint filed against the decision of the Sabail District Court regarding Hasanli’s arrest in October 2012. The Court found violations of: Article 5 (right to liberty and security), Article 6 (right to a fair trial), and Article 11 (freedom of assembly) of the European Convention on Human Rights and ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay Hasanli €10,000 in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.
On 12 January 2013, Hasanli was detained by police during a protest against non-combat deaths in the army, held at Fountain Square. After a brief detention at the Sabail district police station, he was released the same evening and fined 600 manats under Article 298 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Hasanli stated that participation in the protest did not constitute an administrative offence and therefore refused to pay the fine. On 15 February, the Nizami District Court confiscated a mobile phone and a laptop allegedly belonging to Hasanli. He stated that the items did not belong to him and that bailiffs seized them by force. He announced his intention to challenge this decision in court. Later, the court replaced the fine with 200 hours of community service.
On 14 July 2013, at approximately 15:30, Hasanli was detained near the exit of Nizami metro station, close to the Baku Metro Police Department. According to Hasanli, two men in civilian clothes approached them, identified themselves as police officers, and claimed they were behaving “suspiciously.” Around 19:00, Hasanli and two other activists — Majid Marjanli and Kenan Gasimli — were taken from the Metro Police Department to an unknown location. On 15 July, the Sabail District Court of Baku sentenced Hasanli, Marjanli, and Gasimli to 15 days of administrative arrest on charges of disobeying police orders. According to their lawyer, the court delivered the ruling without waiting for defense attorneys to arrive. Later that day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the arrests, stating that the activists had been detained for failure to comply with lawful police demands and that a protocol had been drawn up under Article 310.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
According to activists from NIDA and Free Youth, the arrests were connected to the distribution of stickers across the city and metro bearing slogans such as: “You are the source of power”, “Do not fear the authorities”, “Resist the authorities” and “Change the government”. On 19 July, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the 15-day administrative detention. On 7 October 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Hasanli’s complaint regarding his July 2013 arrest, finding violations of: Article 6 (right to a fair trial), and Article 10 (freedom of expression). The Court ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay Hasanli €5,850 in compensation.
On 9 September 2020, Hasanli was detained during a protest demanding the release of Tofig Yagublu. He spent several hours at a police station and was later released.
Participation in Elections (2015 and 2020) A head of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 1 November 2015, the NIDA Civic Movement discussed nominating Ulvi Hasanli as a candidate. Hasanli stated that participation in the elections would contribute to increased civic engagement in Azerbaijan. NIDA nominated Hasanli as its candidate in the Binagadi Second Electoral District No. 9. However, the Central Election Commission and the district election commission obstructed the registration of his candidacy. According to a statement by NIDA, pressure was exerted on citizens in the Rəsulzadə settlement, who had signed in support of Hasanli’s candidacy, forcing them to withdraw their signatures.
On 12 October 2015, the district election commission officially refused to register Hasanli as a candidate. The decision stated that out of 544 voter signatures, registration was denied based on: Written statements from 73 individuals claiming they had been deceived, and 61 signatures declared invalid due to authenticity concerns. Hasanli appealed the decision to the Central Election Commission (CEC). On 13 October 2015, the CEC upheld the decision, and Hasanli’s candidacy was not registered. He subsequently challenged the CEC decision in court.
In December 2019, the Azerbaijani parliament was dissolved, and snap parliamentary elections were scheduled for February 2020.
On 27 December 2019, the “Movement” Electoral Bloc was established, with Hasanli participating in its creation. The bloc included the D18 Movement, the NIDA Civic Movement, and former members of the REAL Party. The bloc nominated Hasanli in the Binagadi Second Electoral District No. 9. The election in this district involved four main candidates, including a representative of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.
According to official results, Hasanli finished ninth, receiving 446 votes (2.60%).
Detention and Illegal Military Conscription (2017) In October 2017, Ulvi Hasanli was detained by military police and sent to a military unit in the Barda district. Hasanli had undergone medical examinations at the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription in September 2016 and early 2017. Due to kidney disease and rheumatism, he was granted a deferment from military service until 2019. In early October 2017, Hasanli received another summons and underwent a new medical examination. An ultrasound examination revealed kidney stones and inflammation, and additional tests were prescribed. After a repeated ultrasound on 25 October, he was informed that his “kidneys were healthy.” On 26 October, Hasanli was sent for examination to a Cardiology Hospital, after which military police transported him to the military commissariat. There, written statements were taken from him, and he was sent to serve in a military unit located in a frontline zone, according to a statement by the NIDA Civic Movement.
Hasanli’s lawyer Elchin Sadigov and human rights defender Elshan Hasanov stated that the forced conscription was linked to his civic activism. Sadigov emphasized that conscripting a person with serious health problems is unlawful and that only evasion of military service may result in criminal liability. Hasanli had not evaded service; his health condition had not allowed him to serve. Legal expert and lawyer Yalchin Imanov noted that military service involves heavy physical strain and that individuals with health problems are usually granted deferments or exempted from service altogether.
On 1 November 2017, the Baku Military Court accepted a complaint regarding Hasanli’s forced conscription under judicial review procedures. The defense requested recognition of the conscription as unlawful, Hasanli’s personal participation in the proceedings, and an independent medical examination. The complaint also alleged torture, stating that forcibly conscripting a seriously ill person amounted to inhuman treatment. On 3 November, the court declined to consider the case on the merits and recommended filing a complaint with the Military Prosecutor’s Office. On 13 November, the Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Judge Elshad Shamayev, dismissed the appeal against Hasanli’s forced conscription.