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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 […]

On November 24, a joint online meeting of the Milli Majlis Committees on Legal Policy and State Building and on Human Rights was held. According to the Parliament’s Press and Public Relations Department, the chair of the Committee on Legal Policy and State Building, Ali Huseynli, stated that the agenda included a single item: a […]

On November 20, the Sabail District Court considered a motion to place Hurriyyet TV’s detained editor-in-chief, Vugar Mammadov (Tofigoglu), under house arrest due to health concerns. The motion was denied despite Mammadov’s health condition. Mammadov was arrested on October 30, 2025, and sentenced to 3 months and 13 days of detention on extortion charges on […]

The blocking of 3,932 YouTube channels linked to Azerbaijan-backed influence operations by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) in the first two quarters of 2025 indicates a persistent and significant effort to spread propaganda. These channels were specifically noted for “sharing content in Azerbaijani, supportive of Azerbaijan, and critical of Armenia and critics of the Azerbaijani […]

On July 14, the parliament of Azerbaijan adopted amendments to the already restrictive Law on Media, tightening state control over information and extending censorship capabilities to digital platforms. One of the most significant changes is the expansion of the term “Media Entity” to include the local offices and representative branches of foreign media organizations. These […]

On July 28, Imameddin Alimanov, a blogger living abroad and the founder of the YouTube channel called “Xalq TV,” was sentenced to 7 years on charges of making public calls against the state. In May 2021, a search warrant was issued for the blogger. In March of this year, several other bloggers living abroad were summoned, all suspects under […]

On May 31, 2025, a court in Baku issued arrest warrants against exiled bloggers Tural Sadigli, Ordukhan Temirkhan (Babirov), and a government critic, former rector of Azerbaijan International University Elshad Abdullayev. Sadigli was charged with Article 178.3.1 (fraud by an organized group), Article 220.2 (incitement to mass unrest), and Article 320 (forgery of documents). Temirkhan […]