Head of Kanal-13 Aziz Orujov Released from Prison

Aziz Orujov

Aziz Orujov, the head of the online television channel Kanal-13, was released on November 27 after completing a two-year prison sentence.

The head of Kanal-13 internet television, Aziz Orujov, was arrested in November 2023. Orujov and the channel's employee, Shamo Eminov, were accused of currency smuggling but denied the charges. Following the preliminary investigation, the currency smuggling charge was dropped against Orujov, but the charge of illegal construction remained. Shamo Eminov's case was separated into a different proceeding, and he was subsequently released.

Orujov and Eminov were recognized as political prisoners by human rights defenders.

It should be recalled that this was Orujov's second time in prison.

In December 2017, Aziz Orujov was sentenced to six years on charges of illegal entrepreneurship. The journalist pleaded not guilty and appealed the verdict. In April 2018, the Supreme Court replaced his actual prison term with a three-year suspended sentence, and in November 2019, the court denied his request for release from the suspended sentence and expungement of his criminal record.