The court arrested the head of Hurriyyet TV, Vugar Mamedov.

Vugar Mammadov, editor-in-chief of the Hurriyet newspaper, the Hurriyyet.az website, and the Hurriyyet TV project, has been arrested by a Baku court on extortion charges. Mammadov's colleagues have called his arrest a contract.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on October 29, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan conducted searches at the offices of the Hurriyet newspaper, the Hurriyyet.az website, and Hurriyyet TV. On October 30, it was reported that Vugar Mammadov, the nephew of Sardar Jalaloglu, chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, had been detained.

On October 31, the Sabail District Court of Baku ordered Vugar Mammadov to be remanded in custody for extortion through threats. The court sentenced Mammadov to three months and 13 days in jail, a Caucasian Knot correspondent reported.

The Hurriyyet staff considers the court's decision "mandatory and completely unfounded." "The editorial board will take all necessary measures to protect the rights of the editor-in-chief," according to a statement published on the Hurriyyet.az website.

The editorial board is not yet aware of the details of the charges against Mammadov, a Hurriyyet employee told a Caucasian Knot correspondent. "One thing is clear: the charges are trumped up. Apparently, Vugar Mammadov was arrested for criticizing high-ranking officials on Hurriyyet TV programs. Some media outlets are now calling Vugar Mammadov "the man" of former head of the presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev. Firstly, this is not true, and secondly, Vugar Mammadov faces a completely different charge than Mehdiyev. Furthermore, Vugar Mammadov received warnings of a possible arrest even before the case against Mehdiyev was opened. The seizure of Hurriyyet TV equipment also indicates that Vugar Mammadov was arrested specifically in connection with the channel's work, and now its work is paralyzed," said a journalist who wished to remain anonymous.

An employee of the Sabail Court confirmed the information about Mamedov's arrest to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Representatives of the investigative body were unavailable for comment.

Mamedov has been arrested before: on July 24, 2023, he and retired Colonel Elnur Mamedov were sentenced to one month of administrative arrest for disseminating prohibited information. Previously, in 2005, V. Mamedov was sentenced by the court to a two-year suspended sentence for publishing an illegal football betting site in a newspaper.