News

The story was originally published on Meydan TV. This is a translated and edited version.  The Baku Court for Serious Crimes has sentenced Azerbaijani blogger Manaf Jalilzade — who lives abroad — to 8 years in prison. The verdict was delivered in absentia. Jalilzade, currently residing in Switzerland, was charged with “calls against the state” […]

The original article was published by Meydan TV. Below is a translated and edited version of the original. Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, has signed a decree to improve children’s safety on social media. The decree introduces age restrictions on children registering on social platforms and mandates the development and enforcement of rules governing the use […]

The original story was published by Meydan TV. This is a translated and edited version. President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree establishing the Digital Development Council, a new body tasked with overseeing digitalization, e-government, artificial intelligence, and innovation policy in Azerbaijan. The Council is mandated to coordinate state digital policy, supervise related programs and […]

The story was originally published on Meydan TV. The version below is a translated and streamlined version of the original article.  The reach of Azerbaijan’s crackdown has increasingly extended beyond its borders. Journalists, bloggers, and activists living in exile across Europe have reported being surveilled, followed, and threatened — raising alarms about transnational repression. On […]

February 9, 2026 – Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court has adopted a sweeping new resolution on the protection of personality rights, prohibiting the dissemination of information about a person’s private and family life — even when that information is accurate — without their consent. Under the new rules, individuals may now seek civil remedies on the grounds […]

On February 2, TikTok blogger Salman Mammadov — known online as “Velizar” — was administratively detained on charges of disseminating prohibited content. Mammadov had attracted widespread public attention through live fundraising streams.  The arrest followed amendments to the Law on Information, Informatization and Protection of Information, signed by President Ilham Aliyev. The amendments ban the […]

Dayanat Chalabilyev was detained on December 22. Two days later, the Khatai District Court ordered his arrest. In a controversial procedural move, the trial was presided over by Judge Rafael Sadikhov, whose official judicial powers had reportedly expired just days prior to the hearing. Chalabilyev, an English language teacher by profession, faces charges of intentionally […]

For years, the promise of the digital town square was built on a simple premise: technology would democratize the truth, allowing the voices of the marginalized to bypass the gatekeepers of state-controlled media. Yet, for independent journalists and activists in Azerbaijan or based abroad, this promise has been inverted. Instead of a megaphone, platforms like […]

In March of this year, criminal cases were opened against several bloggers living in exile, and the targeting of Azerbaijanis abroad has intensified since then. In November 2025, among those named in a new wave of investigations were Ganimat Zahid, the exiled editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Azadliq newspaper; historian Altay Goyushov; political analyst Arastun Orujlu; […]

In Azerbaijan, five judges jointly sought the arrest of a citizen over statements he made about them. The 63-year-old Hikmat Shukurov was also ordered to pay compensation of 10,000 manats to each judge. The chair of the Shirvan Court of Appeal, Vali Abdullayev, and judge of the same court, Elchin Khasmammadov; the chair of the […]