journalist and editor-in-chief arrested

On February 5, 2025, Azerbaijani authorities detained independent journalist Shamshad Aghayev, editor-in-chief of the online media outlet arqument.az. His residence was searched, and personal belongings, including electronic devices, were confiscated. Aghayev has been charged with smuggling under Article 206.3.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, which pertains to smuggling committed by a group of persons in […]

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activist receives conditional sentence

Civic activist Famil Khalilov has been handed a conditional sentence of 3 years with a 2-year probation period. Khalilov was arrested on May 2, 2024, on spurious drug charges. He was transferred under house arrest in December 2024. The activist was accused of drug charges – possession of a large amount of drugs with the […]

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media development agency wants another website blocked

According to reporting by Meydan TV, the Media Development Agency (MEDİA) has filed a lawsuit to block the news site “Anaxeber.info.” The website’s editor-in-chief, Azer Talibov, told Meydan TV that the blocking request is linked to the website’s critical reporting covering corruption, government misconduct, and social issues. He claimed that despite multiple requests from the Media Agency […]

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Azerbaijan creates Commission on Countering External Interference and Hybrid Threats

In September 2024, the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament) established a special commission on foreign interference and hybrid threats. MP Ramid Namazov chairs the commission, which comprises several members of parliament. The commission was set up shortly after Pavel Durov visited Azerbaijan (more on that here and here.) The commission’s mandate includes preparing reports on instances of […]

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activist handed down jail sentence over online posts

On January 28, 2025, the Baku Court for Serious Crimes sentenced Elshan Karimov to six years in prison. The charges were based on his social media posts defending political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which authorities interpreted as incitement to overthrow the government. Karimov and his supporters assert that his arrest and sentencing are politically motivated, aiming […]

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website editor sentenced to 8 years

The director of the website “dunyaninsesi.az”, Arshad Ibrahimov, who has been in prison since December 2023 on extortion by threat charges, was sentenced to 8 years on January 24, 2025.  Ibrahimov refutes allegations leveled against him. During his defense, Ibrahimov said the charges were bogus and were linked to the website’s reports of police misconduct […]

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residents forced to remove posts under duress

In Azerbaijan’s administrative district of Imishli (İmişli), scores of residents were detained, internet speed throttled, and, according to reports by local media, all entry and exit points to the town were placed under heavy control by internal troops dispatched to the area. This followed a protest in reaction to an accident reported on January 18, in […]

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bogus charges land one man in jail

Hamza Mammadli, 33, was sentenced to six years on January 7, 2025, on spurious terrorism and calls against the state charges, the charges Mammadli denies. Mammadli, a German citizen of Azerbaijani origin, received asylum in Germany in 2015 and German citizenship in 2022. He traveled to Azerbaijan in 2023 for his wedding and was arrested at […]

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Durov’s visit to Azerbaijan

When Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, was detained in France, the first thing I noticed was that he had arrived in France from Azerbaijan. Naturally, the first question that came to mind was what Durov was doing in Azerbaijan. Thanks to his assistant Julia Vavilova or Juli Maletc, as she is known on Instagram, that question […]

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ministry of education wants to censor teachers and academics

According to local media reports, the ministry of education adopted a series of amendments to the “Rules of ethical behavior of educators” document on May 15. According to the changes, educators (as in all teachers and academics employed within the institutions under the Ministry of Education) must adhere to the principles of lawfulness, honest behavior, […]

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