Azerbaijan has intensified its crackdown on independent media, detaining six journalists from Meydan TV, one of the country’s few remaining independent outlets, amid growing international scrutiny. The detentions, based on controversial charges of currency smuggling, have sparked accusations of an assault on press freedom and human rights.
Meydan TV, an affiliate of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), reported on Friday that it had lost contact with its journalists, later discovering that they had been detained by the Baku City Police Department. “The homes of some of the detained journalists were searched, and their personal equipment and some belongings seized,” the outlet revealed.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs stated that one of the detained reporters, Ramin Jabrayilzada (known as Deko), was arrested at Baku airport on allegations of smuggling foreign currency. Authorities also detained five other journalists and editors—Aynur Ganbarova, Khayala Aghayeva, Aytac Ahmadova, Natig Javadli, and Aysel Umudova—alongside Ulvi Tahirov, deputy director of the Baku Journalism School, which trains aspiring journalists.
Meydan TV strongly denied the accusations, calling the detentions unlawful. Despite the objections, a court in Khatai District ordered the six journalists to be held in pre-trial detention for four months. If convicted, they could face up to eight years in prison.
The detained journalists have denied the charges and reported that some were subjected to physical violence during the searches. Many believe the detentions are acts of retaliation for their critical reporting, which has been seen as a challenge to the government’s narrative.
This crackdown on media freedom has extended beyond Meydan TV. In recent weeks, at least 13 people have been detained, although some were later released. Independent photojournalist Ahmad Mukhtar was sentenced to 20 days of detention without trial on charges of minor hooliganism and disobeying police orders, raising further concerns about the state’s use of judicial power to silence dissenting voices.
The arrests are part of a broader campaign by Azerbaijani authorities to suppress opposition and control the media landscape. Human rights advocate Rufat Safarov, executive director of the Defense Line human rights organisation, was detained on December 3 on charges of fraud and hooliganism. He remains in pre-trial detention for four months.
This latest wave of arrests follows a series of similar actions in November 2023, when authorities arrested Ulvi Hasanli, executive director of Abzas Media, and five employees on charges of currency smuggling. The authorities also targeted other independent media outlets, such as Toplum TV and TV Kanal 13, raiding their offices and arresting several employees. Kanal 13’s director, Aziz Orujov, faces charges related to unauthorized land use and could be sentenced to up to three years in prison.
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The global community has strongly condemned Azerbaijan’s actions. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based press freedom watchdog, called for the immediate release of the detained journalists. “The detention of multiple Meydan TV journalists, occurring just as the United Nations’ COP29 climate conference wrapped up in Baku, is a sign of Azerbaijani authorities’ intention to continue the brutal media crackdown,” CPJ stated in a public statement.
The CPJ further emphasised that these detentions come “as a slap in the face of both the U.N. and democratic governments who just went to Baku to shake hands with Azerbaijani officials,” highlighting the hypocrisy of the government’s actions in the face of international diplomacy.
In response to the detentions, ambassadors from the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Switzerland have joined calls for the Azerbaijani government to release the imprisoned journalists and human rights activists. These diplomatic bodies have urged Azerbaijan to uphold press freedoms and to cease its targeted attacks on those seeking to hold the government accountable.
The increasing suppression of independent media and human rights organisations in Azerbaijan has raised alarms worldwide, with many viewing the ongoing detentions as part of a broader strategy to stifle dissent ahead of upcoming elections and maintain control over the narrative within the country. The international community remains vigilant, calling for the immediate release of all detained journalists and activists.
