Three jailed Azerbaijani journalists have refused to answer prosecutors during a court hearing in Baku, accusing authorities of fabricating smuggling charges to silence independent reporting.
Khayala Aghayeva, Fatima Movlamli and Ramin Deko testified at the Baku Serious Crimes Court on 24 July as part of an ongoing trial against 12 media figures linked to independent outlet Meydan TV.
All 12 defendants face multiple charges, primarily currency smuggling, which they deny. They maintain they are being prosecuted solely for their professional activities.
Deko, who was arrested on 6 December 2024 after returning to Baku from Tbilisi, told the court that officers planted €30,000 (£25,000) in his luggage while holding him in a patrol car.
“I declared €8,000 at customs, which is within legal limits,” Deko said. “They did not arrest me inside the airport because it was crowded. Instead, officers intercepted my taxi five minutes later and held me in their car for 20 minutes while placing €30,000 on top of dirty clothes in my luggage.”
Defence lawyers requested security camera footage from Baku airport to verify Deko’s account. However, presiding judge Zaur Hajiyev informed the court that authorities declined to provide the video, citing “technical limitations”.
Defence lawyer Shahla Humbatova urged the court to issue a formal secondary request, calling the footage critical evidence for the defence.
During her testimony, Fatima Movlamli described the prosecution as part of a systematic state crackdown on independent media that began in late 2023 with arrests at Abzas Media and Toplum TV.
“When neither restrictive media laws nor police intimidation could stop independent journalists, the political leadership resorted to mass arrests,” Movlamli said.
Khayala Aghayeva also declined to answer questions from state prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev, referring to him as a “government contractor”.
Aghayeva and co-defendant Nurlan Libre informed the court of rights violations at the Baku Detention Centre, including abruptly terminated telephone calls and withheld personal letters. Judge Hajiyev advised them to submit separate formal court applications regarding detention conditions through their legal representatives.
Meydan TV editor-in-chief Aynur Elgunesh submitted documentation showing that the State Security Service (DTX) had placed her and her close associates under six months of surveillance prior to her arrest. Elgunesh argued the document proves the legal action was planned well in advance.
The trial is set to resume on 7 August.