The search at Toplum TV has been completed, the fate of the journalists is unknown (updated)

At about 6 p.m., the police completed a search in the office of the editorial office of the online publication Toplum TV and sealed it.

Approaches to the building were blocked by the police, so colleagues did not notice whether the police took the editorial staff with them?   

Judging by the fact that several people from the Toplum TV editorial did not left the office and are not answering calls, they have been detained.

It is unknown where they were taken and the reason for their detention. The Ministry of Internal Affairs does not comment on reports on that.

“There is no reasonable explanation for what is happening. It seems that they want to completely eliminate independent media in the country so that there are no platforms left for critical opinions,” said Toplum TV editor-in-chief Khadija Ismail.

“We are not involved in a crime and have not committed any illegal actions. Therefore, there are no legal explanations for what is happening,” she said and added that she could not get any official information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and obtain a search protocol.

She is also trying to clarify the fate of her employees who were in the editorial office when the police arrived. It is impossible to reach them by phone.

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What's going on in the Toplum TV editorial office

Toplum TV employee Aliya Yagublu told Turan that she was not allowed into the publication’s office. “The employees who were inside are not available now. Calls don’t reach them,” Yagublu said.

She believes that the employees are in the office, because if they were taken away, those standing outside the building would have seen it.

The speaker of Platform III of the Republic, Akif Gurbanov, and members of the founding staff of the platform, Araz Aliyev and Ruslan Izzetli, also stopped communicating. Companions believe that they were detained.

Apparently, it can be those public organization that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had in mind reporting searches “at other addresses as well.”

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Police conduct a search at the Toplum Tv editorial office

A group of law enforcement officers came to the office of the online publication Toplum TV at around 4 pm on Wednesday and began a search. This became known from messages on social networks. The head of this project, investigative journalist Khadija Ismail, confirmed to Turan the fact of the search.

She said that was not there when police officers came to the office. “I’m sick, I don’t know the details, I’m going to the editorial office now,” she said.

The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed to Turan agency that “at the address: st. Chemenzeminli, 98 b and a number of other addresses are holding searches  based on operational information.” This means that the searches are happening somewhere else.

Attempts to contact the editorial staff were unsuccessful.

*Toplum Tv is an independent online resource that provides a platform for expressing different opinions on socio-political and socio-economic events.