Shamil Yaraliyev v Secretary of State

Facts

The appellant, Shamil Yaraliyev, is a thirty-eight year old citizen of Azerbaijan. He entered the United Kingdom with his wife and two children as visitors at Heathrow airport on 12 November 2024 and claimed asylum on arrival, his wife and children being named as dependants. His claim rested on his political activities for the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, which he joined in 2015 and for which he organised demonstrations, distributed posters and encouraged attendance. His evidence was that after a demonstration on 11 September 2016 he was summoned to a police station and told he was on a watchlist and had to desist; that following a protest on 24 January 2020 demanding the release of Zamin Solavyev he was arrested, taken to court the next day and sentenced to ten days' detention for a public order offence, during which he was beaten; that he was detained for short periods on several occasions between 2020 and 2024; and that after a further arrest on 28 May 2024 he was shown photographs of his family and warned not to endanger them. He complained to the Ombudsman, was summoned to the General Prosecutors' office on 17 July 2024, and thereafter received threatening telephone calls. The respondent refused the claim on 27 June 2025, disbelieving his account as inconsistent with external information and lacking in detail. He appealed to the First-tier Tribunal.