Azerbaijan jails nine media figures and activists for up to 15 years

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced nine journalists and democracy activists to between 12 and 15 years in prison on charges including currency smuggling and money laundering.

The Baku Serious Crimes Court handed down the combined 121-year prison terms on 27 July following a trial that rights groups and international press freedom organisations have condemned as politically motivated.

The defendants, who are linked to the independent online broadcaster Toplum TV, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI), and the opposition Third Republic Platform, were also banned from holding specified positions for two years and six months.

Following the verdict, social media manager Elmir Abbasov, who had been under house arrest during the investigation, was taken into custody in the courtroom to begin a 12-year sentence.

The court also granted a civil claim ordering the confiscation of the defendants' property.

The case centers on raids conducted by Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry on 6 March 2024 against the offices of Toplum TV and the IDI in Baku.

Prosecutors initially accused the group of smuggling foreign currency, later expanding the indictment to include tax evasion, document forgery, illegal entrepreneurship, and money laundering on an especially large scale. Authorities alleged the group unlawfully received and used funds from Western donors to finance independent news and civil society initiatives.

Prosecutors had sought prison sentences of up to 16 years, describing the defendants as members of an organised criminal group that smuggled 837,000 manats ($492,500) into the country.

All nine defendants rejected the charges, maintaining that evidence was fabricated to crush independent journalism and political opposition ahead of key national events.

Among those given 15-year sentences were Akif Gurbanov, spokesperson for the Third Republic Platform and founder of the IDI, and political activist Ruslan Izzatli.

Media law expert and legal founder of Toplum TV Alasgar Mammadli received a 14-year sentence, as did multimedia journalist Ali Zeynal.

Toplum TV video editor Mushfig Jabbar, IDI project coordinator Ramil Babayev, and team coordinator Ilkin Amrakhov were each sentenced to 13 years in prison. Reporters Farid Ismayilov and Elmir Abbasov received 12-year sentences.

Defence lawyers said they would appeal against the rulings, arguing that the court routinely rejected defence motions and denied basic procedural rights.

Concerns were repeatedly raised throughout the proceedings regarding the health of several defendants. Lawyers pointed out that 57-year-old Alasgar Mammadli required urgent surgery for a throat tumour, but the court repeatedly denied requests to transfer him to house arrest.

In his final statement to the court on 20 July, Gurbanov denied all charges and accused authorities of reverting to Soviet-era tactics to silence dissent.

"Even if they try for centuries, they will not be able to destroy the ideals of the republic," Gurbanov said. "They do not want independent media or an independent judiciary. We do not intend to submit to this system."

Other defendants noted that the financial allegations were incompatible with standard international donor operations, pointing out that routine grants were falsely presented as illegal cash smuggling.

Opposition leaders in Azerbaijan and international watchdog groups expressed outrage over the severity of the sentences.

Jamil Hasanli, chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces, described the trial as a political farce, noting that procedural irregularities were ignored throughout the 45 court sessions.

"There is no crime here," Hasanli said, adding that investigators had registered a Tbilisi metro travel card found during a search as a foreign bank card.

Arif Hajili, former leader of the Musavat Party, warned that the dismantling of free media and civil society would harm Azerbaijan's long-term stability.

"In the past, political figures received shorter terms or were pardoned," Hajili said. "Seeing 14 or 15-year sentences handed down for alleged economic offences has shocked society."

International rights bodies, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), condemned the prison terms as "excessively harsh" and called for the immediate release of all nine individuals.

Toplum TV was established in 2016 as an independent online news platform covering politics, human rights, and state corruption in Azerbaijan.