CPJ Calls for Release of Detained Journalists in Azerbaijan

On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.

On November 22, the day the COP29 conference was officially closing, CPJ highlighted the case of Farid Mehralizade, one of more than a dozen Azerbaijani journalists imprisoned ahead of the conference. Mehralizade, an economist and well-known commentator on Azerbaijan's oil economy and its social and environmental impact, has been in pretrial detention since May 30. On this day, he also marked his 30th birthday in prison.

CPJ's post on the social media platform “X” (formerly Twitter) stated that Mehralizade had worked as an economic commentator for Radio Free Europe and other outlets. It also pointed out that he was arrested as part of an investigation into AbzasMedia, an anti-corruption investigative outlet accused of receiving funding from Western donors, despite the fact that Mehralizade had never worked for the media organization.

CPJ's publication further mentioned that shortly after his arrest, Mehralizade's wife, Narghiz, gave birth to their child. However, until this week, he had not been allowed to see his newborn daughter.

The CPJ has called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to release Mehralizade and more than 10 other journalists ahead of the COP29 closing. The organization also encouraged supporters to send birthday messages to Mehralizade via the website https://freefarid.info, which was created to support his release.

Mehralizade's wife, Narghiz Mukhtarova, shared her heartbreaking experience, stating that her husband was able to see their newborn daughter only a day before his 30th birthday, for just a few hours in detention. "It was so painful to see them part ways in the end," she wrote on “X”. "They need each other more than ever. They’ve already lost precious moments that can never be regained. This unjust imprisonment must end!"