Journalist Ulviyya Ali (Guliyeva) was detained during the night of May 7.
Her friends and colleagues shared the news on social media. According to activist Gulnara Mehtiyeva, the journalist’s home was searched.
“The apartment was completely ransacked. The piano, drawers, and closet shelves were broken. We still don’t know what they took from the house or what they ‘found,’” the activist wrote on her Facebook page.
Mehtiyeva also said that Ulviyya Ali was subjected to violence during her arrest.
A post about her detention was also published on Ulviyya Ali’s personal Facebook page.
“If you are reading this post, it means I have been falsely accused and unlawfully arrested for my journalistic work. I must note that, like other journalist colleagues, I have committed no crimes — I did not bring what they call ‘illegal funds’ into the country, nor have I done anything else. I also have no working ties with Meydan TV. Even if I did, cooperating with Meydan TV is not a crime. I should also mention that I have long collaborated with Voice of America,” the journalist wrote.
On January 16, 2025, Ulviyya Ali was interrogated at the Baku City Police Department in connection with the “Meydan TV case” and was banned from leaving the country. She appealed the decision.
Ulviyya Ali is the 11th journalist to be detained in the “Meydan TV case.”
Meydan TV Case
Meydan TV staff members Ramin Deko (Jabrayilzade), Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunash), Aysel Umudova, Aytaj Ahmedova (Tapdig), Khayala Aghayeva, and Natig Javadli were detained on December 6, 2024. They were charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group in prior collusion) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. They were placed under pre-trial detention for four months.
On the same day, Ulvi Tahirov, the deputy director of the Baku School of Journalism, was also detained under the same charge. Tahirov has no connection to Meydan TV.
On February 5, the editor-in-chief of the website argument.az and journalist collaborating with Meydan TV, Shamshad Aghayev (Agha), was detained and sentenced to two months and one day of pre-trial detention.
On February 20, journalist Nurlan Libre (Gahramanli) was detained in connection with the Meydan TV case. A court sentenced him to one month and 17 days of pre-trial detention.
On February 28, journalist Fatima Movlamli was detained in the same case. On March 1, the Khatai District Court ruled to detain her for one month and nine days pending investigation.
Searches were conducted in the homes of all detained journalists, and their phones, computers, and other personal belongings were confiscated.
The journalists deny any wrongdoing and claim they were arrested solely for their professional activities.
Currently, about 30 journalists and civil society activists are imprisoned on similar charges. They all deny guilt and link their arrest to their professional work. Meanwhile, authorities claim 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.
