ABDULALIYEV AND ISMAYILOV v. AZERBAIJAN

• Court: Third Section (European Court of Human Rights)
• Judgment Date: 08 September 2026
• ECLI: ECLI:CE:ECHR:2026:0908JUD006451017
• Application Number: 64510/17;39664/18
• Date: 08 September 2026
• Counsel: Sadigov, Elchin Ali oglu
• Applied Rules: 3;41
• Respondent State: Azerbaiján
• Importance Level: Low importance

THIRD SECTION

CASE OF ABDULALIYEV AND ISMAYILOV v. AZERBAIJAN

(Applications nos. 64510/17 and 39664/18)

JUDGMENT

Art 3 (procedural) • Ineffective investigations into arguable complaints of ill‑treatment by police officers during the applicants’ arrest and detention

Art 3 (substantive) • Inhuman or degrading treatment • Excessive force by using firearms and rubber bullets against the applicants during their arrest, in the course of the “Nardaran events”, resulting in injuries • Force used not rendered strictly necessary by their own conduct

Art 3 (substantive) • Court unable to reach any conclusion as to the applicants’ alleged ill-treatment during detention deriving, at least in part, from the authorities’ failure to conduct effective investigations

Art 3 (substantive) • Inhuman or degrading treatment • Lack of adequate medical care following the applicants’ arrest and during their detention

Prepared by the Registry. Does not bind the Court.

STRASBOURG

8 September 2026

This judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44 § 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision.

In the case of Abdulaliyev and Ismayilov v. Azerbaijan,

The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of:

Ioannis Ktistakis, President,
Lətif Hüseynov,
Diana Kovatcheva,
Úna Ní Raifeartaigh,
Mateja Đurović,
Canòlic Mingorance Cairat,
Vasilka Sancin, judges,
and Milan Blaško, Section Registrar,

Having regard to:

the applications (nos. 64510/17 and 39664/18) against the Republic of Azerbaijan lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by two Azerbaijani nationals, Shamil Adil oglu Abdulaliyev (Şamil Adil oğlu Abduləliyev – “the first applicant”) and Agil Azer oglu Ismayilov (Aqil Azər oğlu İsmayılov – “the second applicant”), on 21 August 2017 and 11 August 2018, respectively;

the decision to give notice of the complaints concerning Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention to the Azerbaijani Government (“the Government”) and to declare inadmissible the remainder of the applications;

the parties’ observations;

Having deliberated in private on 23 June 2026,

Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:

INTRODUCTION

1. The present applications primarily concern the applicants’ complaints under Article 3 of the Convention about the alleged excessive use of force against them; the failure to provide them with adequate medical treatment; their ill-treatment during their detention; and the absence of any effective investigations into their complaints of ill‑treatment.

THE FACTS

2. The applicants were born in 1985 and 1995 respectively, and at the time when the applications were lodged they were serving prison sentences in Baku. The first applicant was represented by Mr E. Sadigov and Ms Z. Sadigova, lawyers based in Baku. The second applicant was represented by Mr Y. Imanov, a lawyer based in Sumgayit.

3. The Azerbaijani Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr Ç. Əsgərov.

4. The facts of the case may be summarised as follows.

1. POLICE OPERATION IN NARDARAN

5. The applicants were supporters of an unregistered religious movement, Müsəlman Birliyi (“the MB”), which was established by a group of Shia Muslims at the beginning of 2015.

6. On 26 November 2015 the so‑called “Nardaran events” occurred. On that day armed police officers from the Organised Crime Department (Baş Mütəşəkkil Cinayətkarlıqla Mübarizə İdarəsi – “the OCD”) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (“the MIA”) carried out an operation in Nardaran (a...