Toplum TV underwent a search operation as law enforcement surrounded the premises. Reports suggest that individuals associated with the media outlet were escorted from the location in a police vehicle.
The offices of Toplum TV, an independent media organization, were subjects of the search. Employees took to social media to relay the information, asserting that the police initiated a search at the media organization’s office and subsequently transported the website’s staff away in a police car.
Efforts to confirm this information with Toplum TV’s management by Meydan TV proved unsuccessful, as none of them could be reached.
An employee at the site mentioned that the police had cordoned off the area where the media is situated.
Additional information obtained by Meydan TV suggested that the police also surrounded the office of the III Republican Platform. The agency responsible for the search remains unclear; however, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) addressed the situation in response to social media reports concerning the search on Toplum TV.
Elshad Hajiyev, the head of the MIA press service, stated that police conducted search operations based on information received about certain activities at the office located in the Narimanov district of the capital.
Hajiyev assured that more details would be provided as the situation unfolds. Toplum TV’s editor-in-chief, Khadija Ismayil, informed “BBC Azerbaijan” that some employees were taken away in a police car, expressing concern for their well-being. Ismayil believes that the searches are attempts to stifle the media, emphasizing that no legal basis for a criminal case has been provided.
Contacting individuals associated with the III Republican Platform, including Akif Gurbanov, Ruslan Izzetli, and Araz Aliyev, became impossible, leading to speculations about their detention by the police. Social media posts indicate that searches were completed at Toplum TV’s office, and its entrance has been sealed.
Reports circulated that Akif Gurbanov, the speaker of the III Republican Platform, was taken from the organization’s office to the police. Similar actions were taken with Ruslan Izzateli and Araz Aliyev after they were removed from the office.
Lawyer Shahla Humbatova faced obstacles in entering the apartment where the search was conducted, as she reported on her Facebook account. The post mentioned the ongoing search at Akif Gurbanov’s residence.
Akif Gurbanov, the speaker of the III Republican Platform, was reported to be detained by the police. Current information indicates that his residence is undergoing a search, with Shahla Humbatova also present during the operation, as reported on the III Republican Platform’s “Facebook” page.
