Azerbaijan’s Media Crackdown: Journalists Jailed on Politically Motivated Charges

December 23, 2024 – Azerbaijan –

Farid Mehralizada, an economist and contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was detained in May 2024 and accused of conspiring to smuggle foreign currency, among other charges, including illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, and document forgery, carrying a potential 12-year prison sentence. Mehralizada vehemently denies all allegations and asserts that his arrest stems from his critical reporting on the economy, which he believes threatened authoritarian sensitivities. He explained in court that “journalism in our country today is almost equated with terrorism”. Press freedom organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have condemned Farid’s detention as part of a broader campaign to silence government critics and independent media voices in Azerbaijan.

This crackdown has intensified recently, culminating in June 2025 when a Baku court sentenced Mehralizada to nine years, alongside six Abzas Media journalists who received between 7½ and nine years on charges related to financial crimes. Rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International, denounced the sentencing as legally baseless and politically driven, accusing Azerbaijani authorities of weaponising economic legislation to imprison journalists who expose corruption.

In parallel, Voice of America correspondent Ulviyya Guliyeva (also known as Ulviyya Ali) was arrested in May 2025 under similar currency-smuggling allegations tied to the state’s investigation into Meydan TV. Despite her denial and lack of affiliation, she remained in pre-trial detention—unified with other independent media staff—after enduring a ransacked home, confiscated gear, travel bans, and alleged police mistreatment. Journalistic advocacy groups implored Azerbaijani authorities to release her, restoring both freedom of movement and a fair legal process.

These cases are not one-off incidents, but part of a pattern targeting nearly 25 independent journalists since late 2023. Baku has systematically dismantled outlets including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Meydan TV, through arrests, raids, and the revocation of credentials. International bodies have decried the use of financial charges to censor critical reporting, warning that this assault on free press erodes democratic resilience and public oversight.

Today, independent journalism in Azerbaijan faces its most severe suppression in years. Unless international pressure mounts and legal systems are reformed, the principles of transparency and accountability are likely to suffer irreversible damage.

Reference –

https://www.voanews.com/a/azerbaijani-journalist-says-he-was-jailed-over-his-work/7911687.html