An Azerbaijani pro-democracy activist was placed in pre-trial custody on Tuesday (30 April) on smuggling charges he denied in the latest of a series of cases that have prompted Western concern about free speech and human rights.

A court placed Anar Mammadli under formal arrest for three months and 28 days following his detention on Monday.

“Anar Mammadli stated that he was not guilty,” lawyer Javad Javadl told Reuters outside the court. “He said he was being prosecuted for his political activities and criticism of the authorities, and intended to appeal.”

Mammadli is head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Training Centre (EMDТС), which had criticised the conduct of the February election in which President Ilham Aliyev won a fifth consecutive term.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the United States was “deeply troubled by the continuing arrests of members of Azerbaijani civil society”, including Mammadli.

“We urge the Azerbaijani government to immediately release all individuals who are unjustly detained,” he told reporters.

EU lead spokesperson for external affairs Peter Stano stated on X that Mammadli’s arrest was a “matter of concern” for the EU. “All those imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights should be released”, he added.