Ministry of Culture and Tourism is abolished

On December 28, the trial of Abzas Media began, with the prosecutor reading the indictment. At the start of the session at the Baku Serious Crimes Court, the accused, the chief editor of Abzas Media, Sevinc Vagifgizi, filed a motion to disqualify the court panel. She argued that the current composition of the judges could not conduct an impartial investigation, as two of the three judges had previously ruled on cases involving political prisoners.

Azerbaijan plans to revise the rules for the temporary stay of Russian citizens within its territory in the near future, according to Ayhan Hajizade, spokesperson for Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Flights by Azimut Airlines from Mineralnye Vody to Baku and Ganja, as well as from Sochi to Baku, have been canceled due to a refusal by the Azerbaijani side. This was stated in a message from Azimut Airlines.

On 28 December, the Baku Court for Serious Crimes presided over by Azad Mejidov sentenced Teymur Kerimov, founder of Internet TV ‘Kanal 11’, to 8 years of imprisonment. Istek Totiyeva, who was prosecuted together with him in the same case, was sentenced to a suspended sentence with a two-year probation period.