The Court of Appeal rejected Aytac Tapdig’s appeal regarding the marriage restriction.
On November 5, the Baku Court of Appeal reviewed the appeal filed by Aytac Tapdig, an imprisoned journalist involved in the MeydanTV case, concerning the denial of his marriage request.
Kamran Mammadli, an animal rights activist and Tapdig’s fiancé, stated that the court sided against them, upholding the Khatai District Court’s original decision.
Mammadli also mentioned their plan to appeal to the Khatai District Court and start a new case regarding the marriage ban next week.
Aytac Tapdig was arrested on December 6, 2024, in connection with the Meydan TV case.
He was initially charged with smuggling (Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code) and taken into custody.
On August 28, 2025, the charges in the “Meydan TV case” were increased. Those arrested face charges under Articles 192.3.2 (illegal business activity, with large amounts of income), 193-1.3.1 (legalizing criminal property), 193-1.3.2 (committed in large amounts), 206.4 (smuggling by an organized group), 213.2.1 (tax crimes – by an organized group), 320.1 (falsifying documents), and 320.2 (using fake documents) of the Criminal Code.
In January 2025, Aytac Tapdığun’s request to marry, submitted to the Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 where he was held, was turned down.
This led to the initial court case. The Khatai District Court ruled against him.
On September 26, the Baku Court of Appeals sent the case back to the Khatai District Court for another look.
Aytaj Tapdig wishes to marry animal rights activist Kamran Mammadli.
Kamran Mammadli was detained by security and handed over to the police for holding a solo protest at the UN climate change conference in Baku on November 15, 2024. He is currently banned from leaving the country, a fact he discovered on December 2 when he tried to fly to Tbilisi.
On October 23, the Khatai District Court examined Aytac Tapdyq’s appeal regarding his inability to marry while in detention.
Mammadli stated that these complaints were considered in court for the first time. Up until now, the ban was only given without a formal written answer: For this reason, the courts would not consider the case, because we could not prove the ban existed. Finally, after much legal battle, we got a written answer about the marriage ban, so the case was examined at the Khatai District Court.
Both Tapdyk and he prepared defense statements.
The judge ruled against them: We have not received a copy of the decision. Once we do, we will examine how the court ruled against the marriage of two citizens after the first consideration? The ruling will be given to us within three days, and we will appeal.
Official sources have not commented on this statement.
On June 23, the Baku Court of Appeals reviewed Aytac Tapdig’s case regarding his petition to get married, and rejected it.
According to his family, Tapdig was treated poorly during his address in court and was removed from the hall.
They kept him from seeing Kamran Mammadli, who he wants to marry, and from speaking in the courtroom. Aytac Tapdig has been illegally detained for 199 days, and he is being denied his basic rights. He is not allowed to meet with Kamran Mammadli for the purpose of marrying, they said.
The court in question and other official bodies did not respond to this statement.
Tapdig was arrested on December 6, 2024 in the MeydanTV case and has been in pre-trial detention. He denies the accusation of smuggling.
On April 28, Aytac Tapdig claimed his right to marry in prison was violated. He states that Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 is violating rights. I asked for marriage in January, but I am not getting the needed procedures.
He received a reply two months after his appeal to the prison, because the investigation did not permit him to marry: My arrest on false charges was not enough, a voice from the outside, without any formalities, rejects my request to marry. This ban is pressure on both me and Kamran Mammadli, a human and animal rights defender who I want to marry.
The journalist would take his case to court to get his rights back.
The Penitentiary Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to this letter.
MeydanTV employees Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunesh), Aysel Umudova, Natig Javadli, Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdig), Khayala Agayeva and Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko) and Ulvi Tahirov, deputy director of the Baku School of Journalism, have been in custody since December 6. Each of them has been charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling – committed by a group of people).
Three other journalists were arrested in February related to the Meydan TV criminal case. Shamshad Aghayev was detained on February 4, Nurlan Gahramanli (Libre) on February 20, and Fatima Movlamli on February 28.
All the journalists deny the charges, saying that the accusations of smuggling are false and that they are being punished for their work.
Animal rights activist Kamran Mammadli complained about being banned from leaving the country in December of last year. He said that he wanted to fly to Tbilisi on the morning of December 2: … I was told that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had banned me from leaving the country. They did not say why.
Mammadli thinks the ban is because of the action at COP29: I left and re-entered the country in July; there were no problems then.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to his statements at that time.
Mammadli had a protest in Baku on November 15 during the 29th session of the UN climate conference (COP29), holding a sign reading Stop shooting stray dogs. He was kicked out but not arrested.
Since November 2023, over 30 journalists and public activists have been arrested on charges of smuggling in Azerbaijan. They disagree with the charges, and say their arrest is because of their work. Later, charges increased for many.
Local human rights groups say that there are currently over 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons. Officials say that no one is arrested for political reasons or for their work. They claim that those on these lists are held responsible for their actions.