Journalists Shouted the Slogan “Freedom is the Lifeblood of the Press” in Court

Five journalists who are part of the big "Meydan TV case" did something really brave in a Baku courtroom on May 1. They stood on their chairs in front of Judge Ayten Aliyeva. Shouted slogans that people outside the courtroom could hear. The journalists are Aysel Umudova, Khayala Agayeva, Aytac Tapdiq, Ulviyya Ali and Fatima Movlamli. They wanted to say that being a journalist is not a crime and that they will not be quiet.

The hearing happened on a day. International Workers Day. And just two days before World Press Freedom Day. This made it a good time for Ulviyya Ali to say something. She spoke from the place where a man named Bayram Mammadov stood ten years ago. Ulviyya Ali said that there are people who do not care about workers and there are people who risk their lives to tell the truth about things. She warned that the country is in trouble because the government says the press is free but they are putting journalists in jail for no good reason.

The "Meydan TV case" started in December 2024. Has gotten bigger. It started with the boss of Meydan TV, Aynur Elgunash and some of her colleagues getting arrested. Now there are 12 people involved including journalists from independent news places like Arqument.az and photographers who work on their own. The government is accusing them of crimes like smuggling and financial problems.. The journalists say they are innocent and that the government is just trying to stop them from telling the truth.

The trial is very serious. It is moving very slowly. The last hearing was supposed to happen. It got postponed until May 22 because some of the defense lawyers were late. The judge, Ayten Aliyeva did not want to wait for them. Stopped the hearing. The journalists are still in jail. They are still saying the same thing: they will stand together in good times and bad and they will not give up. They say they will be "side by side in the square, side by side, in the dungeon." The Meydan TV case is still going on. The journalists are still fighting for their freedom.