Two more journalists arrested in Azerbaijan on smuggling charges
Arrests of Shahnaz Beylergyzy and Shamshad Agayev
Two more journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan on smuggling charges. The court has decided to impose a pretrial detention measure against Shakhnaz Beylergyzy and Shamshad Agayev.
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Ninth arrest in ‘Toplum TV case’
On 6 February, the Khatai District Court in Baku ordered the arrest of journalist Shakhnaz Beylergyzy (Huseynova). The court granted the request of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, placing her in pretrial detention for three months and 15 days.
Her lawyer, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, informed the court that Beylergyzy has two underage children in her care, suffers from serious health conditions (diabetes and hypertension), and poses no flight risk as she has been under a travel ban for nearly a year.
However, investigator Alibala Hajiyev stated that a new criminal case had been opened, and Beylergyzy could allegedly influence “other members of an organised gang.”
According to her lawyer, the case leading to her arrest was separated from the broader Toplum TV case on 21 January.
In court, Beylergyzy rejected the charges, stating that her arrest was linked to her journalistic work.
Like other individuals arrested in the “Toplum TV case,” she has been charged under Articles 162-1.1 (engaging workers in any form of employment without a legally binding contract), 192.3.2 (large-scale illegal entrepreneurship), 193-1.3.1 (legalization of property obtained through criminal means), 193-1.3.2 (…committed on a large scale), 206.4 (smuggling committed by an organized group), and 213.2.1 (tax evasion committed by an organized group) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
These charges carry a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
Shahnaz Beylergyzy was the host of a socio-political program on the independent online media outlet Toplum TV. She had been questioned multiple times as a witness in the criminal case opened against the media organization.
In March 2024, police raided the Toplum TV editorial office, sealing the premises, confiscating technical equipment, and detaining all staff members present at the time. Some employees were later released. Initially, seven individuals were arrested in connection with the criminal case against Toplum TV, while two more staff members were placed under police supervision. One of them, Farid Ismayilov, was arrested on 17 January 2025.
Shahnaz Beylergyzy was detained on 5 February, with a search conducted at her apartment. Her phone, computer, and several personal belongings were confiscated.
A few hours before her arrest, the pro-government online outlet Baku TV published a report on Toplum TV, which also mentioned Beylergyzy.
Arqument.az chief editor and Toplum TV host arrested in “Meydan TV case”
On the same day, the court ordered the arrest of another journalist, Shamshad Agayev, editor-in-chief of the Arqument.az website, on smuggling charges. He was detained for a period of two months and one day pending investigation. Agayev also hosted a program on Toplum TV. However, his arrest is part of the “Meydan TV case.”
It is worth noting that on 8 December last year, several Meydan TV staff members were placed under four months of pretrial detention: Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko), Aynur Gambarova (Elgyunesh), Aytaj Akhmedova (Tapdyg), Aysel Umudova, Khayala Agayeva, Natig Javadly, and Ulvi Takhir, deputy director of the Baku School of Journalism.
They have been charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group of persons in collusion) of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code.
Shahla Gumbatova, Shamshad Agayev’s lawyer, stated in court that there were no grounds for Agayev’s arrest and that he was already banned from leaving the country, as he was a witness in the “Toplum TV case.”
However, investigator Samir Ismayilov deemed it inappropriate to leave Shamshad Agayev at liberty.
The journalist himself rejected the charges against him, stating that his arrest was linked to his journalistic work.
Agayev was also detained on 5 February. Police officers took him from his home at 2 a.m. A search was conducted in his apartment, during which his personal belongings, his and his family members’ phones, and his computer were confiscated.
Since November 2023, a total of 24 media representatives in Azerbaijan have been arrested on smuggling charges as part of three criminal cases—the “Abzas Media case,” the “Toplum TV case,” and the “Meydan TV case.” During the same period, three more journalists were imprisoned on other charges.
Arrests of Shahnaz Beylergyzy and Shamshad Agayev
