Under the verdict of the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, former head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and within the framework of his criminal case the activities of the East-West publishing house have also come into focus. In particular, interesting details have surfaced in connection with the name of Sevil Ismayilova, one of the publishing house’s senior figures.
So who is this Sevil Ismayilova?
Globalinfo.az reports that Sevil Ismayilova has worked in the publishing sector for many years. She is director of the Publishing Department at the East-West publishing house.
There is no extensive information in open sources about Ismayilova’s personal biography, education or previous work. However, one notable point regarding her professional activity came to public attention in 2024. She was entered into the Library of Congress Name Authority File as a specialist responsible for the publication of numerous books.
The history of the East-West publishing house, which Sevil Ismayilova leads, is also noteworthy. The entity began operating in 1986 as Baku Book Printing House No. 4, a state enterprise. In 2001 its organisational and legal form was changed and it became an Open Joint-Stock Company. Its main areas of activity are book publishing and printing.
The publishing house’s ownership structure is of particular interest for its links to Ramiz Mehdiyev’s family. According to information circulated in April 2026, the main shareholder of East-West OJSC is Ramiz Mehdiyev’s son, Major General Teymur Mehdiyev. His stake in the company is reported to be around 96 percent. Thus Sevil Ismayilova serves in the management of the publishing house, while Teymur Mehdiyev is its main shareholder.
The publishing house’s name also featured in information released by the State Security Service in connection with Ramiz Mehdiyev’s criminal case. According to the SSS statement, the final edited copy of a document titled “Proposals on the restructuring of the state governance system”, prepared by Mehdiyev in August-September 2025, was sent on 3 October that year through employees of East-West OJSC to senior officials of a foreign state’s special services.
After that, the possible role of the publishing house’s employees in the criminal case also drew attention. Sevil Ismayilova was among those questioned as witnesses in that case.
According to the investigation materials, Ramiz Mehdiyev entrusted Sevil Ismayilova with the printing of the manuscript he had prepared on Azerbaijan’s political and governance problems over the past five years. The document’s main destination was Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, and it was to be delivered through Rashad Kurbanov, deputy to Sergey Naryshkin.
Note: We are ready to present Sevil Ismayilova’s position on the matter.
Aliyar Khalil
Globalinfo.az
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