Jailed Azerbaijani outlets shortlisted for global press freedom award

Two independent Azerbaijani media outlets whose journalists face lengthy prison terms have been shortlisted for a prestigious international press freedom award.

The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) named Meydan TV and AbzasMedia among 11 nominees for the 2026 Free Media Pioneer Award.

Both organisations have faced severe crackdowns from authorities in Azerbaijan, with dozens of their journalists jailed on what rights groups call politically motivated charges.

The nominators said this year's shortlisted outlets had demonstrated "resilience" and pioneered new ways to ensure the free flow of information under increasingly hostile conditions.

Meydan TV's editor-in-chief, Orkhan Mammad, said the nomination provided vital moral support for colleagues behind bars.

For our jailed colleagues, this award is a source of hope, joy and resilience," Mammad said. "It is a recognition of their struggle for freedom of speech, journalism and truth in Azerbaijan."

Established in 2013, Meydan TV is known for investigating high-level corruption and human rights abuses in the oil-rich Caspian nation.

Between December 2024 and August 2025, 12 people linked to the broadcaster were arrested and accused of financial crimes, including money laundering and tax evasion. The outlet now operates primarily in exile.

AbzasMedia, founded in 2016 to expose government corruption, was targeted in a similar sweeping crackdown that began in late 2023.

In June 2025, six of its journalists and one reporter from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) were sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven-and-a-half to nine years.

Despite the arrests and government attempts to block its website, AbzasMedia continues to publish investigative reports from exile and through contributors inside the country.

Gunel Safarova, executive director of AbzasMedia, said the international recognition showed that the jailed journalists’ courage had not been forgotten.

Their arrest is solely because they performed their duties with integrity," Safarova said. "This is an important show of support indicating that the fight for truth continues beyond prison walls."

Other nominees on the 2026 shortlist include the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), Forbidden Stories in France, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) in Nigeria, and Zan Times in Afghanistan.

The winner of the award will be announced in the coming weeks and presented at the Gabo Festival in Bogota, Colombia, in July.

Previous winners of the prize include independent media organisations in Hungary, the Kyrgyz outlet Kloop, and the Philippine news site Rappler, co-founded by Nobel laureate Maria Ressa.