26 New Names Added to the List of Political Prisoners
The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has reached 357, according to the latest report released by the Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan. The updated list, which includes 26 new names, was made public today, marking a significant rise from the 2024 list which had 331 political prisoners.
Among those added are prominent journalists such as Farid Ismayilov, Shamshad Agha, and Shahnaz Beylerqizi, alongside 13 individuals detained during protests in Imishli. The full list covers individuals from various sectors, including journalists, human rights defenders, opposition party members, religious activists, and those involved in high-profile cases such as the “Tartar Case” and “Ganja Case.”
The Updated List by Categories:
- Journalists and Bloggers: 27 people
- Human Rights Defenders: 4 people
- Opposition Party and Civil Society Members: 32 people
- National Minority Activists: 4 people
- Anti-War Activists: 2 people
- Söyüdlü Village Case: 2 people
- Deported Political Refugees from Germany: 5 people
- Religious Believers: 235 people
- Tartar Case Convicts: 8 people
- Ganja Case Convicts: 13 people
- Life Imprisonment Sentences: 11 people
- Imishli Case Detainees: 13 people
The list was compiled by Leyla Yunus, the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and Elshan Hasanov, the head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Center. According to the authors, the list follows the criteria established by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in its 2012 resolution on political prisoners.
On December 6, 2024, a group of journalists from Meydan TV were detained during a police operation. The journalists were accused of smuggling under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code, which applies when smuggling is committed by a group acting in concert. A total of seven Meydan TV journalists, including Aytaj Ahmedova (Tapdig), Aysel Umudova, Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunash), Natig Javadli, Ramin Jebrayilzade (Deko), Khayala Aghayeva, and Ulvi Tahirov, were sentenced to four months of pretrial detention.
Despite the charges, the journalists and their legal representatives maintain that the arrests were politically motivated, asserting that they were targeted due to their journalistic work and the critical stance of Meydan TV towards the Azerbaijani government.
On February 5, 2025, Shamshad Agha (Agayev), a staff member of Meydan TV and the editor-in-chief of the website “argument.az,” was detained on suspicion of involvement in the “Meydan TV Case” under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group of people acting in concert). The following day, on February 6, the Khatai District Court ruled to keep him in detention for two months and one day.
International human rights organizations have condemned the arrests as politically motivated and called for the immediate release of the detained journalists. However, the Azerbaijani government maintains its rejection of the accusations, insisting that there is no persecution based on political views.
Founded in 2013, Meydan TV positions itself as a neutral and objective media outlet that reports on events in Azerbaijan. Despite its independent operations, the outlet has faced increasing pressure from the government over time.
In 2015, a criminal case was initiated against Meydan TV, leading to the imprisonment of its employee, Shirin Tire (Abbasov), for 30 days. Additionally, journalists associated with the channel were prohibited from leaving the country.
Following a ruling by the European Court, the government was compelled to lift the travel ban on journalists in 2019, as it was deemed illegal.
In 2017, Meydan TV’s website was blocked in the country, and its social media accounts were repeatedly targeted by cyberattacks, with content being deleted.
In 2021, an investigation by OCCRP revealed that the government, with the help of Israel’s NSO Group, had been wiretapping the phones of those collaborating with the channel.
Since November 2023, dozens of journalists in Azerbaijan have been arrested on charges of “smuggling.”
Local and international human rights organizations consider the charges to be fabricated and are calling for the immediate release of the journalists.
