The lawyer stated that although Natig Javadli was arrested on December 6, no investigative actions have been conducted against him so far.
On February 25, the Khatai District Court reviewed the defense’s request for house arrest for journalist Natig Javadli, who was arrested in connection with the “MeydanTV case.” The court rejected the request and did not change the detention order for the journalist.
According to lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova, the request was based on the fact that no investigative actions had been conducted against the journalist, and he has minor children and a mother with health problems to care for. The lawyer pointed out that although Natig Javadli was arrested on December 6, no investigative actions have been conducted against him so far.
“The detention measure itself was chosen without any evidence or proof. Natig Javadli was arrested on December 6, but no investigative actions are being carried out against him. His detention is causing both moral and physical harm to his family. His children are at an age where they need their father’s presence, especially for their education and upbringing. While Javadli was free, he personally handled his children’s education. We appealed to the court to consider this situation and replace his detention with house arrest. Unfortunately, the court did not accept our request,” lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova emphasized.
According to the lawyer, during the court session, Natig Javadli linked his arrest to his journalistic activities and defended his case. The defense plans to file an appeal.
The lawyer also mentioned that Natig Javadli was very disappointed when he learned via television that the BBC, Voice of America, and Turan Information Agency had suspended their activities.
On December 6, 2024, several employees of Meydan TV, including Ramin Deko (Jabrayilzada), Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunash), Aysel Umudova, Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdig), Khayala Aghayeva, and Natig Javadli, were arrested. They were charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling, committed by a group of people acting in concert). A 4-month detention measure was selected for them during the investigation.
In addition to the Meydan TV staff, civil society member Ulvi Tahirov was also arrested on the same day. He was also placed under a 4-month detention measure for the same charges. Ulvi Tahirov has no affiliation with Meydan TV.
On February 5, the editor-in-chief of the “argument.az” website and a journalist collaborating with Meydan TV, Shamshad Aghayev (Agha), was also arrested. A 2-month and 1-day detention measure was selected for him.
On February 20, journalist Nurlan Libre (Gahramanli) was arrested in connection with the criminal case related to Meydan TV. By court decision, a detention measure of 1 month and 17 days was chosen for him.
Searches were conducted in the arrested journalists’ homes, and their phones, computers, and other personal belongings were confiscated. The arrested journalists claim they are not guilty and assert that they have been punished for their critical activities related to Meydan TV.
Currently, around 30 journalists and public activists are detained under similar charges. They do not accept the charges and link their arrests to their professional activities. Government representatives state that there are no politically motivated arrests in the country.
International human rights organizations and Western officials have also called on the government to release those unjustly detained.
