Azerbaijan is continuing its repression by arresting more journalists and creating an environment in which media that are not aligned with the government cannot operate untroubled. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) condemn the latest moves by the Azerbaijani authorities to further control the information space, and call for the immediate release of the detained journalists.
The last few weeks have seen yet another level of repression by the Azerbaijani authorities with the detention of several journalists and the closure of the BBC News office in Baku.
On 21 February, a court sentenced journalist Nurlan Gahramanli (known as Nurlan Libre) to one-and-a-half months’ pre-trial detention in the ongoing criminal case against Meydan TV on bogus smuggling charges.
The authorities also arrested journalist Shamshad Agha, editor of the newspaper Argument.az, who was given a two-month detention period order following a search of his home during a night raid on 4 February. His equipment, including a computer and an old mobile phone, was seized, and his press card was confiscated. Agha was also arrested as a suspect in a criminal case against Meydan TV for allegedly smuggling foreign currency, along with five other employees who were arrested in December 2024 and have now been in custody for four months.
Meanwhile, journalist Shahnaz Beylergizi was placed in pretrial detention for 3.5 months on 5 February as part of an ongoing investigation into Toplum TV. Her home was searched and her equipment was seized.
More than 25 media workers are currently behind bars in three main criminal cases targeting Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Meydan TV. Most of them were detained over the alleged receipt of Western donor funding (smuggling currency).
Foreign media outlets forced to close offices
Other worrying developments in the past weeks include the shutdown of BBC News, which reported on 20 February that it was forced to close its local office in Baku after receiving a verbal order from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allowed only one journalist to continue reporting from Baku.
This move follows the government’s intention to balance the number of local and foreign journalists in Azerbaijan and abroad. “The number of staff at Sputnik Azerbaijan will be reduced to match that of AzerTaj’s Russian office – down to one person. The same will apply to BBC News Azerbaijan,” said an unknown source. The ministry also canceled the accreditation of US-funded Voice of America’s correspondent.
On 13 February, Azerbaijan’s news agency Turan, established in 1990, also announced that it was ceasing its activities due to persistent financial difficulties. However, its director, Mehman Aliyev, later told OC Media that Turan’s closure was a ‘political order’.
Ricardo Gutiérrez, EFJ General Secretary, said: “The government is methodically reducing all critical voices by creating an environment in which some media can no longer function normally, with almost no journalists and funding dried up. It is clear that the government intends to eradicate all forms of dissent. We call for the immediate release of all journalists unjustly detained and prosecuted for their journalistic work in Azerbaijan.”
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary, urged the Azerbaijani government to stop its crackdown on independent journalists and media. “We are witnessing a wave of repression aimed at silencing and further restricting independent journalists and critical voices operating in the country. Azerbaijani authorities must stop targeting media workers and release all unjustly imprisoned journalists without delay.”
Source: EFJ
