Reporters without borders calls for immediate release of journalists in Azerbaijan

Six journalists from the independent news outlet were arrested on Friday and placed in pretrial detention on Sunday, 8 December. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns these arbitrary detentions, part of a systematic strategy to silence critics of the regime in Azerbaijan, and calls for their immediate release.

Independent journalist Ramin Deko Jabrailzade was the first to be arrested at Baku airport, upon his return from Georgia, around noon local time on 6 December. Shortly afterwards, five employees of Meydan TV, an Azerbaijani outlet headquartered in Germany, went missing: Aynur Elgunesh Gambarova, Natig Javadli, Khayala Agayeva, Aytaj Tapdig Ahmadova, and Aysel Umudova. Their families later confirmed that they had been arrested.

Two days later, on 8 December, after some of their homes were searched, the six journalists were placed in pretrial detention for four months, accused of "foreign currency smuggling". They face up to eight years in prison on these charges, which their newsroom has vehemently denied in a statement. This indictment has frequently been used as a pretext for judicial harassment since a new wave of repression began in November 2023, targeting journalists from outlets such as Toplum TV and Abzas Media. The trial for Abzas Media is set to begin on 17 December, reads the press release of RSF.