Azerbaijani journalist Ahmad Mammadli detained, relatives report he was beaten
Azerbaijani journalist Mammadli arrested
Azerbaijani journalist and founder of Yoldash Media, Ahmad Mammadli, has been detained. Relatives say he was beaten during his arrest. He is accused of assaulting a man, but his wife denies the allegation and claims the arrest is linked to his journalistic work.
Pro-government news agency APA reported that on 6 May, at around 22:00 in the Balajari settlement, Mammadli allegedly stabbed a local resident, Vugar Dunyamaliev, in the abdomen. The reported cause of the incident was a “dispute over a taxi seat”.
His wife, Turkan Mammadli, told JAMnews that Ahmad informed her through his lawyer about being subjected to police violence.
“He is the founder of Yoldash Media and has also worked as a freelance correspondent for several outlets.
On the day of his arrest, he had gone to cover a court hearing in the case of jailed opposition figure Tofiq Yagublu.”
Background
In January 2024, Ahmad Mammadli learned that he had been banned from leaving the country. He was summoned to the General Directorate for Combating Corruption under the Prosecutor General’s Office, where he was informed that a criminal case had been opened against him for allegedly attempting to evade military service.
Previously, Mammadli had submitted a document to the State Service for Mobilisation and Conscription stating that he had been admitted to a master’s programme at a Turkish university. Authorities claimed the document was forged, but Mammadli denies falsifying it.
Ahmad Mammadli was also detained in 2022 for “deliberate disobedience to a lawful police order” and sentenced to 30 days of administrative arrest.
Context
Since the arrest of Abzas Media staff in late 2023, a wave of repression in Azerbaijan has led to the detention of more than 30 journalists, including the entire teams of Toplum TV and Meydan TV. Their offices have been shut down.
As part of this crackdown, the accreditations of international media organisations operating in the country have been revoked, and their offices closed.
Offices of Transparency International, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, as well as the EU’s largest education programme, Erasmus+, have also suspended their activities in Azerbaijan.
