A court in Baku has begun hearings in the Meydan TV case, with prosecutors formally reading out the indictment against several journalists accused of smuggling-related offenses.
A court hearing has started in Baku in the case related to Meydan TV, with the indictment officially announced during the proceedings.
According to Vesti Baku reports citing APA, the session was held at the Baku Grave Crimes Court under the chairmanship of Judge Ayten Aliyeva. The defendants were present in court alongside their legal representatives.
Defense lawyer Zibeyda Sadygova requested permission for video recording of the hearing, citing public interest in the case. The court rejected the request.
During the session, it was also stated that an инвалидность pension card and an internally displaced persons (IDP) card belonging to defendant Aynur Elgunesh had not been returned during the preliminary investigation. The court approved a defense request to formally inquire with the investigative authorities regarding the matter.
Following these procedural issues, the prosecution began reading out the indictment.
The next court hearing is scheduled for January 16.
The case dates back to December of last year, when journalists Ramin Deko (Jabrailzade), Aynur Elgunesh (Ganbarova), Aytaj Tapdiq (Ahmedova), Natig Javadli, Khayala Aghayeva, Ulvi Tahirov, and Aysel Umudova were detained. Arrest warrants were issued against them.
The Baku City Police Department charged the defendants under Article 206.3.2 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, which concerns smuggling committed by a group acting in prior conspiracy.
Additional arrests followed in subsequent months. In February, Shamshad Agha, editor-in-chief of Argument.az, as well as journalists Fatima Movlamli and Nurlan Gahramanli (Libre), were detained. In March, journalist Ulviya Ali (Guliyeva) was placed under arrest, followed by the arrest of photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar in August.
