Farid Ismayilov's Arrest is Unfounded – Lawyer

On January 22, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova visited journalist Farid Ismayilov at the Baku Detention Center No. 1, who was arrested on January 17 in connection with the Toplum TV case. Ismayilov had been brought in for questioning back in March 2024 and placed under police supervision.

"Farid Ismayilov said the reason for his arrest was that he continued his journalistic activities. The prosecution claimed in court that Ismayilov traveled to regions of the country in July-August without informing the authorities. However, Farid did not go to the regions indicated by the prosecution. He traveled to other areas, but informed the authorities in advance about his trips," said the lawyer. "Secondly, it was not stated what investigative action was obstructed by Ismayilov's trips. He was not hiding from the investigation and attended interrogations when summoned," the lawyer added.

When Ismayilov was detained, they told him: "We warned you, but you didn’t stay quiet," according to the lawyer.

*On March 6-8, 2024, nine journalists from the publication Toplum TV and its partner organization, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, led by Akif Gurbanov, were arrested. Seven individuals were detained for four months on charges of smuggling, while two others were placed under police supervision.

On January 17, all were charged under an additional six articles of the Criminal Code related to economic crimes. Among them, journalist Farid Ismayilov, who was under police supervision, was also arrested.