Baku, July 18, 2025 — Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court has rejected a final appeal in the long-running case concerning the government-imposed block on independent media outlet Meydan TV. The ruling was delivered today under the chairmanship of Judge Elshad Shamayev, according to defense attorney Elchin Sadigov, who confirmed the decision to APA.
The cassation appeal, filed in an effort to lift the restrictions on Meydan TV’s website, was denied, leaving the original verdict in force.
The ban dates back to May 2017, when the Sabail District Court ruled in favor of the Electronic Security Center under the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and High Technologies. The court ordered the blocking of several independent outlets, including Azadlıq newspaper, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Azerbaijani opposition program “Azerbaijan Hour,” Turan TV, and Meydan TV.
Subsequent appeals were dismissed by the Baku Court of Appeal. In 2019, Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court temporarily reversed the ban on Meydan TV and sent the case back for retrial. However, the appellate court reaffirmed the original verdict, and the website has remained inaccessible within Azerbaijan ever since.