Novruzali Mammadov

Novruzali Khanmammad oğlu Mammadov (; March 1942 - 17 August 2009) was an Azerbaijani philologist, journalist and activist of Talysh ethnicity. He was the founder and editor of the now-defunct newspaper Tolyshi Sado (Voice of the Talysh). Mammadov also worked at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and headed a Talysh cultural center, which was closed after his imprisonment.

Mammadov was arrested on 2 February 2007 and accused of working for Iranian intelligence agencies. On 24 June 2008, he was convicted of treason and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. He died in a prison hospital on 27 August 2009 after two years of imprisonment. announced the verdict against him and responsible secretary of Tolishi Sado Elman Guliyev. They were accused under the Article 274 of the Criminal Code (high treason), and sentenced Mammadov to 10 years of imprisonment, Guliyev - to 6 years of imprisonment (without confiscation of property) in the strong regime jail. Mammadov was accused of espionage in favor of Iran. He was arrested after the newspaper published articles showing well-known poet Nezami as Persian, claiming her mother, named Ra'isa, to be Kurdish, and showing the leader of Khurramite movement Babak Khoramdin as Talysh.

International organizations such as Washington Profile, UNPO and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have voiced their concerns about the arrest of Mammadov.

On June 26, 2008, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg announced, that the Council of Europe "is very dissatisfied" by the verdict concerning Mammadov.

In February, 2009 the representatives of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Baku Office, Norway's embassy and of the representation of the CE in Baku visited him in jail.

On July 27, 2009, Mammadov was transferred to the hospital of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan, but was still deprived of duly qualified medical aid. According to Khilal Mamedov he was placed into a common ward, without elementary sanitary facilities and without bed clothes. He couldn't move freely, eat and drink. He suffered from pains and shortness of breath, but did not receive medical care. Mammadov died in an Azerbaijani prison hospital from a heart attack on 17 August 2009.

Family His sons Emil and Kyamran were repeatedly abducted for short times, and physical and moral pressure was used against them. On September 8, 2007, Kyamran Mammadov died of a heart attack.

Mammadov's other son, Emil, had been charged with storage and use of drugs. A court ordered his release from prison in 2008, finding the charges against him unproven.