Defence lawyers in Azerbaijan have called for the acquittal of independent journalists and activists as closing arguments concluded in the high-profile Toplum TV trial on Monday.
The trial of 10 defendants associated with the independent outlet Toplum TV and the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) concluded its defence stage at the Baku Grave Crimes Court.
The defendants, who face aggravated smuggling charges, deny all allegations and say the prosecution is politically motivated. The court has scheduled the next hearing for 13 July, when the accused are expected to deliver their final statements.
During the hearing, defence lawyer Gunay Ismayilova argued that the smuggling allegations against IDI employees Ramil Babayev and Ilkin Amrahov were physically impossible as neither man possesses a passport.
“My client Ramil Babayev has only travelled to Turkey using his identity card for personal reasons,” Ismayilova told the court, adding that banks require a passport to withdraw international wire transfers.
Ismayilova also questioned the evidence against Amrahov, noting that his bank account only showed a student scholarship and minor personal deposits. She added that police failed to dust for fingerprints on cash allegedly seized from his home.
Fakhraddin Mehdiyev, representing Toplum TV co-founder and media law expert Alesger Mammadli, criticised the indictment as “biased and manipulative”. He told the court that the detention of public intellectuals only stalled the country’s development.
In a striking protest, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova declined to present a formal legal defence for Toplum TV journalist Farid Ismayilov, arguing that obtaining a fair outcome in Azerbaijani courts was impossible.
“We have no expectation of an acquittal,” Sadigova said, noting the prosecution had requested a 13-year sentence for Ismayilov’s journalism, compared to shorter sentences typically handed to violent offenders.
Rasul Jafarov, defending several activists including Third Republic Platform co-founder Ruslan Izzatli, argued the trial was part of a wider government campaign against independent media and civil society that began in November 2023.
Jafarov also criticised the formatting of the indictment, describing a single sentence that spanned nine pages as an attempt to hide a lack of concrete evidence behind complex jargon.
Eight of the 10 defendants, including Mammadli and Third Republic Platform speaker Akif Gurbanov, remain in custody. Two other journalists are currently under police supervision.