Journalist Shahnaz Baylargizi has been released under house arrest following a decision by the Khatai District Court.
Baylargizi, a journalist of “Toplum TV,” had been detained in connection with the charges in the “Toplum TV case.”
On February 5, 2025, Shahnaz Baylargizi (Huseynova) was detained as a suspect in relation to the ongoing case. On February 6, the Khatai District Court decided to place her under a 3-month and 15-day detention.
On February 7, her lawyer, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, reported that Baylargizi had been placed under medical observation due to serious health issues.
The following day, February 8, members of the Human Rights Defense Organizations Monitoring Group—Novella Jafaroglu, Saida Gocamanli, and Saadət Benanyarli—appealed to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva. They urged the authorities to release Baylargizi, under house arrest, citing concerns about her health.
On February 11, members of the Monitoring Group visited the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding Shahnaz Baylargizi’s case.
Baylargizi had previously worked as a presenter for “Toplum TV,” but following the criminal case opened against the network, the broadcast of the program was halted.
The investigation into “Toplum TV” began in March 2024, when law enforcement agencies conducted searches at the offices of “Toplum TV,” the “Democratic Initiatives Institute,” and the “III Republic Platform,” as well as the homes of several employees. Over twenty staff members were detained during the operation. Most were released after a few hours, but the doors to the “Toplum TV” office were sealed.
Several journalists from “Toplum TV” were subsequently charged with smuggling. These individuals included Farid Ismayilov (who has been placed under police supervision and detained on January 17, 2025), Mushfig Cabbara, Elmir Abbasov (also placed under police supervision), and Akif Gurbanov, the head of the “Democratic Initiatives Institute” and spokesperson for the “III Republic Platform.” Detention measures were applied to these individuals as part of the investigation.
On March 8, 2024, Ruslan Izzetli, a founding member of the “III Republic Platform,” and Alaskar Mammadli, co-founder of “Toplum TV,” were also arrested under the same charges.
The charges against the suspects in the “Toplum TV case” were intensified on January 17, 2025. New charges were brought against the suspects under several articles of the Criminal Code: Article 162-1.1 (engaging employees in work without a valid labor contract), Article 192.3.2 (illegal entrepreneurship with substantial income), Article 193-1.3.1 (legalizing criminally obtained property), Article 193-1.3.2 (in cases of large-scale acts), Article 206.4 (smuggling by organized groups), and Article 213.2.1 (tax evasion by organized groups).
On the same day, January 17, 2025, journalist Farid Ismayilov, who had been under police supervision as part of the “Toplum TV case,” was arrested.
Since November 2023, a number of journalists and civil society activists in Azerbaijan have been arrested on charges of smuggling. However, they all reject the charges, stating that their arrests are politically motivated and connected to their professional activities. Many of them have seen their charges escalated in recent months.
According to a recent list compiled by local human rights organizations, there are currently 357 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons.
Despite these claims, Azerbaijani authorities insist that no one has been arrested solely for their professional activities or for political reasons. They argue that those on the list of political prisoners have been detained and held accountable for the crimes they have committed.
