UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Aug. 25 — On Aug. 20, Kharkiv’s Novobavarskyi dвistrict court granted a prosecutor’s request to place Bahruz Gasanli, an Azerbaijani citizen and opposition figure, under extradition arrest for 12 months. 

Gasanli lived in Kharkiv for a decade, and will remain in custody while Ukraine’s Prosecutor’s General Office decides whether to extradite Gasanli to Baku. 

Volodymyr Halushchenko, one of Gasanli’s lawyers, told Gwara that the defense has already filed an appeal to challenge the court’s decision. 

Oleh Maksymeno, another Gasanli lawyer, said that the court’s decision violates Ukrainian law.  

“The process of extradition itself lasts up to half a year. There is an established practice to give home arrest or release on bail. 12 month detention is a deliberate violation of the law from the judge’s side,” Maksymeno said.

If the court rejects the appeal, the lawyers will go to the European Court of Human Rights and the Ukrainian  Supreme Council of Justice, Halushchenko added. 

Who is Bahruz Gasanli? 

Bahruz Gasanali voluntarily served as a security aide to Ali Karimli, the leader of the APFP and one of the key figures in the Azerbaijani opposition. 

Currently, Karimli is brought before trial in Baku. On Jun. 10, 2025, an Azerbaijani court charged him with an attempted coup. There is still no final verdict in the case, but Karimli’s lawyers said that he could face 12 to 20 years in prison if convicted. 

Gasanli was detained by Ukrainian law enforcement on Jul. 27 based on an Interpol Red Notice requesting the location and provisional arrest of a person before extradition.

Azerbaijani prosecutors accuse Gasanli of fraud. According to case materials, he allegedly misappropriated nearly $35,000 (60,000 Azerbaijani manats) from his business partner in 2021.

On Jul.30, the Shevchenkivskyi district court of Kharkiv placed Gasanli under nighttime house arrest, releasing him from custody. Prosecutor Yevhen Maslovskyi appealed the decision, asking the court to remand the Azerbaijani opposition figure in custody. At the same time, Gasanli’s lawyers asked the court to overturn the decision authorizing his temporary arrest. 

On Aug. 6, the Kharkiv Oblast Court of Appeals ordered Bahruz Gasanli, an Azerbaijani opposition figure and citizen of Azerbaijan, to be held in custody for 40 days. Decision from Aug. 20 changes that ruling to a year in detention. 

Read more

  • Kharkiv court rules to detain Azerbaijani opposition figure Bahruz Gasanli as Zelenskyy meets with Azerbaijan foreign minister