Farid Ismailov
On January 24, the Baku Court of Appeals considered an appeal regarding the arrest of journalist Farid Ismailov. According to his lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova, the defense argued that there was no need to keep the journalist in custody, citing his health problems and the fact that the preliminary investigation had already been completed.
The lawyer pointed out that Ismailov had been under police supervision during the investigation and had not evaded police summons. Additionally, he has serious health issues and has undergone seven surgeries.
During the hearing, Ismailov stated that his arrest was related to his journalistic work and that the charges against him, presented during the investigation, were unproven. "How can I be a smuggler if I haven't left the country?" he said. However, the court rejected the appeal.
* On March 6-8, 2024, nine journalists from the Toplum TV outlet and its partner organization, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, were detained. Seven individuals were arrested for four months on charges of smuggling, while two were placed under police supervision.
On January 17, they were all charged under six additional articles of the Criminal Code related to economic crimes. Journalist Farid Ismailov, who had been under police supervision, was also arrested.
Politics
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The human rights situation in Azerbaijan in 2024 was characterized by an increase in repression against journalists, activists, and religious groups, the annual report of the NGO "Line of Defense," presented on January 24 by member of the organization, human rights activist Zafar Ahmedov.
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On January 24, the Sabail District Court continued the trial of Aziz Orujov, the head of the online publication Kanal-13. According to lawyer Fahraddin Mehdiyev, at the beginning of the hearing, the judge rejected a petition filed at the previous hearing to transfer Orujov to house arrest. The defense then petitioned for journalists to be allowed into the trial and for conditions to be created for them to conduct filming.
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On January 24, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Commander of the Land Forces, Colonel General Hikmat Mirzayev, arrived on an official visit to Türkiye. According to the Ministry of Defense's statement, the Azerbaijani delegation was received by the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, Army General Selçuk Bayraktaroglu.
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Iran has expressed no concerns regarding the upcoming visit of a U.S. working group specializing in border control, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan told reporters in parliament.
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