The New York-based ‘Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) condemned a decision by Azerbaijani authorities to bring six new charges against 'Toplum TV' journalists and the arrest of another 'Toplum TV' reporter.
‘The new charges against “Toplum TV” further underscore the unprecedented persecution of independent media by the Azerbaijani authorities,’ said Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia Programme Coordinator.
‘The arrest of Farid Ismayilov, despite his serious health problems, is particularly troubling. He and all unjustly imprisoned Azerbaijani journalists must be released immediately,’ she added.
Police searched the offices of 'Toplum TV' in March 2024 and accused the publication's founder Alesker Mammadli, video editor Mushfig Jabbar, social media manager Elmir Abbasov and reporter Farid Ismayilov of currency smuggling, CPJ recalled.
Mammadli and Jabbar were taken into custody after being detained, while Abbasov and Ismayilov were released ‘under police supervision.’
Note that 'Toplum TV' employees were among two dozen journalists from Azerbaijan's leading independent media outlets accused of ‘illegally’ receiving grants from Western donors.—
Under the new charges, the defendants in the ‘Toplum TV’ case face up to 12 years of imprisonment.
CPJ's annual monitoring showed that Azerbaijan was among the top ten countries with the highest number of imprisoned journalists in 2024.
CPJ also drew attention to recent cases of Azerbaijani journalists being banned from leaving the country.
Thus, on 11 January, journalist Hanum Mustafayeva was prevented from leaving Baku airport.
On 16 January, reporter of ‘Voice of America’ radio Ulviya Ali was summoned to the police for questioning. She was also banned from leaving the country.
*On 6-8 March 2024, nine journalists of 'Toplum TV' and its partner organisation, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, which is also headed by Akif Gurbanov, were detained.
Seven were arrested for 4 months on charges of smuggling, and two were placed under police supervision.
On 17 January, all were charged under six more Articles of the Criminal Code on economic crimes. At the same time, the journalist Farid Ismayilov, who was under police supervision, was also arrested.
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