The IPI global network today demands the release of six more journalists who were detained in Baku in a new wave of repression, this time targeting independent online outlet Meydan TV. The arrests come just weeks after the conclusion of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, which took place in Azerbaijan against a backdrop of ongoing repression against Azerbaijani independent media and activists.

On December 6, the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV’s website, Orkhan Mammad, reported that authorities had detained Aynur Gambarova (also known as Elgunash), Natig Javadli, Aytaj Ahmadova (also known as Tapdig), Aysel Umudova, Khayala Aghayeva, and Ramin Jabrailzada (also known as Deko).

Three other media workers not affiliated with Meydan TV, Ulvi Tahirov, photographer Ahmad Mukhtar and sports journalist Rashad Ergun, were also detained. While Ergun was released soon after, Mukhtar was sentenced to 20 days in prison on charges of “minor hooliganism”. Tahirov remains behind bars on the same charges as the arrested Meydan TV media workers.

According to independent media reports, the six Meydan TV journalists were interrogated without the presence of their lawyers, who were refused access to their clients.

Mammad also reported that police raided the homes of the arrested journalists, confiscating personal items such as laptops and cameras. Gambarova, who is disabled, was reportedly beaten during the raid on her home.

Following their detention, the journalists were accused of smuggling foreign currency into Azerbaijan, a charge which was previously frequently used against independent journalists detained over the past year by Azerbaijani authorities. On December 7, the Khatai district court of Baku placed the six media workers in pre-trial detention for a period of four months.

In a statement, Meydan TV called the accusations “groundless” and said that the arrests would “neither silence [the outlet] nor stop our work.”

“By arresting several journalists from Meydan TV, Azerbaijani authorities have yet again shown their desire to silence all critical voices in the country,” said IPI Interim Executive Director Scott Griffen. “Close to 20 journalists have been arrested over the past year in Azerbaijan, according to IPI monitoring, with many of them targeted under trumped-up charges of ‘smuggling foreign currency’ into the country. Authorities have presented no convincing evidence to back any of these charges, which are clearly politically motivated. We call on the authorities to immediately release all detained journalists.”

As of December 2024, IPI is aware of at least 25 journalists who were arrested over the past year on trumped-up charges such as currency smuggling and extortion. While behind bars, many of those detained reportedly faced torture and other mistreatment. Previous reports for instance confirmed that Teymur Kerimov, the director of Kanal 11, had been beaten in custody.