On Friday, December 6, around 1:00 pm local time, the regime of Ilham Aliyev illegally detained six employees of Meydan TV, the largest digital news outlet in Azerbaijan and a founding member of the Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO). One freelance photographer and a member of civil society were also arrested as part of this new wave of repression against independent media in the South Caucasus.
Meydan TV’s journalists—who were apprehended on suspicion of illegal currency smuggling—will be in custody of the Azerbaijani authorities for the next four months while the investigation continues. This was mandated on Sunday, December 8, by the Khatai District Court, located in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
In a public statement, Meydan TV claimed not only that the charges were unfounded but also a retaliation against the professional work of its employees. “We, as the management of Meydan TV, firmly state that the detention and interrogation of our journalists is illegal, and we refute all accusations.”
The arrested journalists from Meydan TV are:
- Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunesh)
- Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdig)
- Khayala Agayeva
- Natig Javadli
- Aysel Umudova
- Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko)
A long-known strategy to silence independent media
This is not the first time that Ilham Aliyev’s regime has attacked Meydan TV and its employees for their journalistic coverage. As the BBC explains, in 2015, the reporters who collaborated with the outlet were banned from leaving the country for about four years after a criminal case was opened against this news organization.
Since then, Meydan TV has faced different forms of government repression, from banning its website inside of Azerbaijan to repeatedly subjecting its social media accounts to cyber attacks. The regime has also invested time and resources to surveil Meydan’s staff using Pegasus. Relatives of these media professionals have also been pressured and threatened.
In addition, the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) informed that, over the past year, authorities have charged at least 15 reporters with major criminal offenses in retaliation for their work. Thirteen of them are being held in pretrial detention, the organization says.
“Most of those behind bars work for Azerbaijan’s last remaining independent media outlets and face currency smuggling charges related to the alleged receipt of Western donor funds,” warns CPJ.
Baseless accusations
As part of the illegal apprehension of Meydan TV’s employees, most of their homes were searched, and their personal equipment and belongings were seized.
On December 8, while in court, Meydan TV’s journalists stated that the accusations against them were false and that because many had been unable to leave Azerbaijan, it was “absurd” to accuse them of smuggling.
“Smuggling is plundering the country’s wealth and transporting it abroad. I am not a smuggler. I am a journalist, and journalism is not a crime. But it is considered a crime in Azerbaijan, and I am a prisoner of Ilham Aliyev,” said Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunesh).
In addition, Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunesh) indicated that in the past, she had been subjected to special checks at the airport due to the iron placed in her leg because of health issues. She argued that in such a case, she could not have brought money secretly under any circumstances.
We stand in solidarity with Meydan TV
In its statement, Meydan TV reassured its audience that despite the regime’s attempt to silence its team, they will continue working as journalists and informing about the events in Azerbaijan and the problems of ordinary citizens.
The Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO) stands in solidarity with Meydan TV and its team and demands their immediate release. Our network’s exiled media organizations, originally from Nicaragua, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Myanmar, have repeatedly seen regimes use the same repression tactics to silence responsible journalism and how they always prove unsuccessful.
We trust that independent media organizations and journalists will always find ways to counterattack authoritarian regimes. We are confident that, with the support of our societies, we will continue to do so.
For more updates on the topic, please visit Meydan TV’s website.
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