The Baku Court of Grave Crimes has set a date for a preparatory hearing in the criminal case against Toplum TV journalists.
The activists and journalists arrested in the Toplum TV case, who were charged under the smuggling article, were charged under six criminal articles on January 16 and 17. They face up to 12 years in prison. On January 22, it became known that the preliminary investigation in the case had been completed. On February 10, Toplum TV announced the suspension of its activities in Azerbaijan.
Toplum TV positions itself as an independent platform for expressing different opinions on socio-political and socio-economic events. It has been operating since 2016, and in the past two years, the project has been headed by investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. During the presidential elections in February 2024, Toplum TV journalists published materials on violations and falsifications. The criminal case against Toplum TV has been submitted to the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, said Zibeyda Sadigova, the lawyer of the accused Farid Ismayilov.
According to her, the case has been transferred for investigation to the panel of judges chaired by Azer Taghiyev. The preparatory hearing is scheduled for April 2.
The consolidated position of the lawyers is that the investigation has not provided substantiated evidence of the guilt of the accused, so the defense will insist on the termination of the criminal proceedings for justifiable reasons.