“A willingness to take a life, but to also sow terror and fear among opponents of the regime.” In a single sentence, the Rennes Assize Court delivered a finding of extraordinary weight, underscoring the political dimension of the attempted assassination targeting Mahammad Mirzali. “By sentencing the perpetrators of this attack to prison terms of up to 30 years, the court has clearly denounced an act of state-sponsored terrorism committed on French soil,” said Henri Carpentier, one of the lawyers representing the Azerbaijani blogger, who sought refuge in France.

Under police protection in France since 2021, after surviving a knife attack in Nantes, western France, blogger Mahammad Mirzali has become one of the most prominent targets of the Azerbaijani regime beyond its borders. The trial held in Rennes, conducted under exceptionally tight security due to the dangerous nature of the accused and their alleged ties to criminal networks, is one of the most significant cases of transnational repression ever to be tried in France. This assessment was echoed by the Advocate General, a senior prosecutor, in his closing arguments, which drew a connection between the attack and a system of repression that goes beyond a criminal settling of scores.

The trial marks the culmination of a lengthy judicial process that began with the July 2025 conviction of Khayyam Hagverdiyev, who was sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in one of the assassination attempts against Mahammad Mirzali. In reaching that decision, the French courts had already recognised the existence of a motive directly linked to the blogger’s journalistic work and public statements.

“This ruling sends a clear warning to all those who believe they can hunt down, intimidate, or silence journalists in exile on European soil. It demonstrates that French justice is capable of responding to the violence of transnational repression with resolve, and that no state can reach across its borders to crush dissent. This conviction must also be a turning point for the European Union as a whole. Transnational repression is no longer a fringe phenomenon – it is a direct threat to the safety of journalists and to the rule of law. A firm and coordinated response at the European level is the only way to ensure that such operations are never repeated.

A landmark case of transnational repression

Transnational repression refers to the methods by which a state seeks to threaten, surveil, intimidate, pursue or attack journalists, dissidents, or activists who have sought refuge abroad, with the aim of silencing them. RSF has spent several years documenting the spread of this phenomenon across the world. Azerbaijan is among the countries that resort to it most frequently, alongside Russia, Belarus, Iran, and China.

The case of Mahammad Mirzali illustrates just how brutal these methods can be. Since going into exile in France, the blogger – a persistent critic of President Ilham Aliyev and his inner circle – has faced repeated threats, intimidation campaigns, multiple assassination attempts, legal proceedings initiated against him in both France and Azerbaijan, and pressure targeting those close to him. RSF has documented threats made against his family, a blackmail campaign built around the circulation of an intimate video of his sister, as well as on-going intimidation after the knife attack he survived in March 2021.

Asked about the case during an interview with France 24 in September 2021 – excerpts of which were played during the trial – President Ilham Aliyev denied any involvement by his government in the attempted assassination of Mahammad Mirzali or in the harassment of other exiled opponents. He also accused RSF of taking a “biased” position and adopting a “very unfair” approach towards Azerbaijan.

Despite the arrest of some members of the hit squad, the pressure on Mirzali never ceased. During the investigation, Mahammad Mirzali also reported three separate attempts to persuade him to withdraw his complaint in exchange for sums of up to one million euros. According to his testimony and recordings of the phone calls referenced during the trial, these offers were accompanied by explicit death threats should he refuse.

Key moments from an extraordinary trial, including RSF’s testimony

On 2 June, Mahammad Mirzali delivered several hours of moving testimony, recounting the circumstances of the knife attack he survived in Nantes in March 2021. In response to attempts by the defence to portray the assault as a mere “warning,” he recalled the violence of the attack, the threats that had preceded it, and the lasting psychological impact it continues to have on him today.

Questions from the defence about alleged insults Mirzali had directed at the main defendant, Emin Gasimov, particularly shocked Henri Carpentier. “You cannot suggest that a journalist or political opponent somehow ‘brought this upon himself’ because of what he said. It is exactly the same reasoning that was used after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi or following the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The only thing Mahammad Mirzali represents in this case is the information he publishes and the criticism he directs at the regime.”

At the same hearing, Jeanne Cavelier of RSF and Laurent Richard, founder of Forbidden Stories – an organisation that pursues investigations of journalists who have been threatened, imprisoned, or assassinated – appeared before the court to explain the broader pattern of repression targeting journalists who criticise the Azerbaijani regime, and how that transnational repression follows dissidents into exile. On 9 June, the submissions of the Advocate General marked a major turning point in the trial. He explicitly linked the attack to a pattern of state repression and requested prison sentences of up to 30 years for Emin Gasimov.

The trial was also marked by several tense exchanges between the defendants following the Advocate General’s submissions. According to information gathered by RSF, some of the accused clearly had not expected such severe sentences to be sought against them.

Worn down by years of threats and three assassination attempts, Mahammad Mirzali did not attend the defence closing arguments. Still under close protection, he continues to live with the psychological consequences of this sustained campaign of violence.

Troubling links to Azerbaijani authorities

The trial also shed light on a number of elements concerning the networks surrounding some of the defendants. Judicial wiretaps reviewed by RSF revealed, in particular, that Emin Gasimov was concerned about questions he might be asked regarding SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company and a key pillar of the country’s economy. In these conversations, he also referred to an individual named “Anar”, whom Mahammad Mirzali identified as businessman Anar Alizade, who operates in several strategic sectors closely linked to the state.

Beyond the individual responsibilities of those on trial, these elements raise further questions about the networks that may have supported or facilitated the operation. They add to other evidence that emerged during the investigation and continue to fuel concerns about the backing and resources that may have been available to those involved.

A verdict closely watched in Baku

While the Azerbaijani authorities remained notably silent throughout the trial, several figures close to the government, including MP Elman Nasirov, launched public attacks against Mahammad Mirzali. Pro-government media also seized the moment : on 5 June, Milli.az published a lengthy article condemning the trial and fiercely attacking both France and the exiled blogger. These reactions stand in contrast to the restraint shown by the authorities themselves and illustrate the particular sensitivity of the case in Azerbaijan.

The trial comes amid an intensified crackdown on independent media by the Azerbaijani authorities. The sentences sought on 8 June in the Toplum TV case – where journalists and media workers face prison terms of up to 16 years – are indicative of an unprecedented escalation in the campaign against critical journalism.