Baku, Azerbaijan – In a move that highlights the ongoing crackdown on independent media and civil liberties in Azerbaijan, a Baku court has denied a request from Aytac Tapdig, an arrested journalist for Meydan TV, to enter into marriage. The ruling came on June 23, during a court appearance where Tapdıq’s family reported she was subjected to rough treatment and forcibly removed from the courtroom.
Tapdıq, a prominent journalist with Meydan TV, was arrested on December 6, 2024, as part of what has become known as the “Meydan TV case.” She faces charges of smuggling under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code, accusations she vehemently denies, asserting that her detention is a punishment for her critical journalistic work. She has been held in pre-trial detention for 199 days.
The journalist sought to marry Kamran Mammadli, a well-known animal rights activist. Mammadli himself has faced legal challenges, having been detained on November 15, 2024, during a solo protest at a UN climate change conference in Baku and subsequently subjected to a travel ban, which he discovered on December 2 while attempting to travel to Tbilisi.
During the hearing at the Baku Court of Appeal, presided over by Ali Mammadov, Tapdıq’s request for marriage was rejected. According to her family members, the proceedings were marked by distressing incidents. “Aytac Tapdig was brought into the courtroom like a criminal and placed in a glass cabin,” her relatives told Meydan TV. They added that the judge interrupted Tapdıq’s speech after she declared, “I am a journalist.” Both Aytac Tapdig and Kamran Mammadli were reportedly prevented from standing next to each other or speaking, and both were forcibly removed from the courtroom.
“They created artificial, violent obstacles to prevent Aytac from standing next to and speaking with Kamran Mammadli in the courtroom,” her relatives stated. They underscored the fundamental nature of the right to marry, emphasizing, “Interfering with this marriage without any justification is psychological violence against Aytac. As if her illegal detention for 199 days wasn’t enough, Aytac is being deprived of her most basic rights.” An earlier application from Tapdıq to the administration of Baku Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1, seeking to marry in January 2025, had also been rejected.
Aytac Tapdig’s case is part of a broader wave of arrests targeting independent media and civil society. On the same day as her detention, December 6, 2024, five other Meydan TV employees were also taken into custody: Ramin Deko (Jabrayilzada), Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunash), Aysel Umudova, Khayala Agayeva, and Natig Javadli. They all face similar smuggling charges, and a four-month pre-trial detention measure was ordered for them.
Additionally, civil society member Ulvi Tahirov, who has no affiliation with Meydan TV, was detained on the same day under the same charges and also subjected to four months of pre-trial detention. In the following months, other journalists cooperating with or related to Meydan TV were also arrested, including Shamshad Aga (editor-in-chief of “argument.az”) on February 5, 2025, Nurlan Libre (Gahramanli) on February 20, and Fatima Movlamli on February 28. Ulviyya Guliyeva (Ali) was also later detained in connection with the same criminal case.
Searches were conducted at the homes of the detained journalists, with phones, computers, and other personal belongings confiscated. All arrested journalists maintain their innocence, asserting that these charges are politically motivated and designed to punish them for their critical reporting.
Currently, nearly 30 journalists and public activists are reportedly imprisoned in Azerbaijan on similar charges. While government representatives claim there are no politically motivated arrests in the country, international human rights organizations and Western officials have consistently called on the Azerbaijani government to release those they consider unjustly detained, linking the arrests to restrictions on freedom of expression and independent journalism.
The denial of Aytac Tapdig’s marriage request, combined with reports of her treatment in court, further fuels concerns about the human rights situation and the shrinking space for independent voices in Azerbaijan.