One year after his arrest on May 30, 2024, economist-journalist Farid Mehralizade remains detained on politically charged smuggling and related accusations. While state prosecutors seek up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of his car, Mehralizade spends each day hearing the very propaganda he once exposed—behind iron bars.
Background
Mehralizade is one of seven defendants in the “AbzasMedia case,” which targets corruption-investigation outlet AbzasMedia and Radio Azadliq journalists. On May 20, 2025, prosecutor Rauf Malishov demanded 12 years imprisonment for Mehralizade, publication director Ulvi Hasanli, and investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly, plus seizure of Mehralizade’s vehicle. Chief editor Sevinc Vagifgizi, staffer Mahammad Kekalov, and reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova face 11 years each on similar charges.
One Year Behind Bars
Mehralizade was blindfolded and arrested by security forces on May 30, 2024. He was told, “Your tongue has grown too long,” a reference to his hard-hitting economic analyses that challenged official unemployment and poverty figures. Now aged 30, he has access only to state-run media in prison. “For 365 days, I have witnessed not justice, but the murder of justice,” he wrote. During his detention, his daughter was born—an absence he poignantly notes alongside the birth.
The ‘Evidence’ and the Absurdity
At trial, the sole “proof” against Mehralizade was his travel abroad. No documents, footage, or records of foreign-currency import were presented—only the fact of leaving Azerbaijan. Prosecutor Malishov branded him a smuggler and demanded confiscation of a car Mehralizade purchased legally: “The vehicle cost $7,800 (≈ 13,300 AZN), roughly three months of my official income (54,000 AZN in the year before arrest),” Mehralizade explained, calling the demand “absurd.”
Reactions from Home and Abroad
Stephen Kapus, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, declared:
“The Azerbaijani government has stolen one year of Farid Mehralizade’s life… he has done nothing illegal and must be released immediately.”
Attila Mong of the Committee to Protect Journalists warned U.S. officials:
“Farid is one of over 20 journalists currently imprisoned despite no criminal acts… U.S. representatives should do everything possible to secure his release.”
Meanwhile, Judge Hikmet Babayev (New Azerbaijan Party) insisted, “No one in Azerbaijan is jailed for their profession… honorable professions aside, before the law we are all equal.”
Challenging State Propaganda from Prison
Despite restricted media access, Mehralizade dissects government claims. He notes that oil and gas account for 50% of the budget and 90% of exports, leaving the economy fragile—“if energy prices fall, a crisis will ensue,” as in 2015. He questions social-welfare assertions, pointing out high retirement ages, low life expectancy, limited unemployment insurance, and inadequate social minima. “True sustainable development requires citizens’ understanding of economic processes and freedom of expression,” he writes from his cell.
What’s Next?
The next hearing is set for June 10, 2025, when defense attorneys will speak. For now, Mehralizade remains a stark symbol of mounting pressure on independent journalists in Azerbaijan—and of the state’s determination to silence critical voices under the guise of criminal law.