Azerbaijani MP’s Son Remanded in Custody for Four Months Following Fatal Cafe Brawl

The Nizami District Court of Baku has ordered a four-month pre-trial detention for Ahmed Ali-zade, son of Member of Parliament Arzuxan Ali-zade. 

The ruling follows a high-profile criminal probe into a mass altercation at a Baku cafe that left one person dead. The detention motion was redirected via the Baku Court of Appeal after judges initially assigned to the hearing recused themselves, leading the appellate body to refer the case to the Nizami District Court. Ali-zade faces charges under Articles 218.1 and 218.2 (criminal enterprise formation and participation) alongside Articles 234.4.1, 234.4.3, 29, 234.4.1, and 29, 234.4.3 (illicit narcotics trafficking and attempted trafficking) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Notably, MP Arzuxan Ali-zade's other son serves as a judge at the Khatai District Court. 

N. Tebrizli