Azerbaijan court convicts 9 journalists and activists in a case seen as an attack on media freedom

A court in Azerbaijan has convicted nine journalists and founders of a top independent news outlet on charges of financial crimes and sentenced them to prison in what international media rights groups denounced Tuesday as a politically driven case to stifle critical voices in the oil-rich Caspian Sea nation.

Toplum online TV founder and director Alasgar Mammadli was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the court in the capital of Baku. It gave 15-year prison terms to activists Akif Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzetli, who co-founded the outlet. Other journalists and activists associated with Toplum TV received sentences ranging from 12 to 14 years.

They were charged with illegally receiving and using Western donor funds as part of an “organized criminal group.” They denied the charges and Elchin Sadigov, a lawyer for some of the accused, told The Associated Press they would appeal the verdicts.

“This is an unlawful and political motivated court ruling that is linked to their journalist activities,” Sadigov told AP. “Not a single defense motion has been granted by the court.”

The government of President Ilham Aliyev has carried out a methodical crackdown on dissent and freedom of speech, targeting journalists, activists and independent politicians, relying on restrictive laws to muzzle critical voices. according to human rights organizations.

Toplum TV, a leading online news outlet, was one of the last remaining independent news outlets in the southern Caucasus country of 10 million. It was known for its reporting on official corruption and social problems. In March 2024, police raided its offices and arrested several members of its staff.

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) denounced what it called “the extremely harsh prison sentences” to journalists and media actors associated with Toplum TV, noting that “the court’s verdict confirms the political nature of the trial and the authorities’ desire to intimidate and repress journalists who are simply doing their job."

Anthony Bellanger, the IFJ general secretary, described the verdict as “pure and simple government repression and intimidation.”

Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, also condemned what it described as bogus trial, saying it reflected the escalating crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan and demanded their immediate release.

“This unjust decision highlights how the Azerbaijani justice system is being exploited,” RSF said in a statement. “It has been brought to heel by President Ilham Aliyev to silence the country’s last remaining independent media outlets.”

Aliyev has led Azerbaijan since 2003, when he succeeded his father, Heydar, who was its Communist Party boss and then president for a decade after the country became independent following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

The younger Aliyev won another term in 2024 with 92% of the vote in an early election.

He took advantage of a surge in his popularity after Azerbaijani forces swiftly reclaimed the Karabakh region from ethnic Armenian separatists who had controlled it for three decades. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the vote took place in a restrictive environment with no real political competition.