An Azerbaijani court has extended the pretrial detention of Ulviyya Ali.
A Baku court has extended the pretrial detention of journalist Ulviyeh Ali (Guliyeva), arrested in the Meydan TV case, for another month. An appeal will be filed against the decision.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," journalist Ulviyeh Ali, arrested in Baku, was not allowed to meet with her lawyer because she resisted a body search, according to her mother.
Ulviya Ali (Guliyeva) was questioned as a witness in the Meydan TV case in January, after which she was banned from leaving Azerbaijan. In May, she was detained and re-arrested as a defendant in the Meydan TV case. She denied the smuggling charges and stated that she does not collaborate with the outlet. Ali was taken to the detention center after being beaten by security forces, where her condition worsened significantly. In July, the court remanded her in custody.
On November 26, the Khatai District Court of Baku granted the investigative body's motion and extended Ulviye Ali's pretrial detention for another month, according to the journalist's mother, Ilham Mehmanli. According to her, the journalist's arrest has been extended until December 27.
The girl's mother noted that Ulviye Ali considered it pointless to speak in her own defense. Instead, the journalist recited a poem about a rooster. "This poem has as much to do with the trial as the charges against me," Mehmanli's daughter was quoted as saying, noting that the court's decision would be appealed.
Ulviya Ali's lawyer was unavailable for comment. An employee of the Khatai District Court confirmed the extension of the journalist's detention.
Journalists from other media outlets, including Toplum TV, Abzas Media, and Kanal-13, have also been persecuted in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. In court, they denied the charges, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption.
The Meydan TV case was opened in December 2024, when six journalists were detained, then arrested, and charged with currency smuggling by a group of individuals in a prior conspiracy. They linked the criminal case to their professional activities. By August 2025, 11 people had been arrested in the Meydan TV case. . At the end of August, it was announced that the investigation had been completed, and a 12th suspect, photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar, had appeared in the case. Meanwhile, the arrested journalists were charged with seven more criminal offenses. .
Journalists from other media outlets, including Toplum TV, Abzas Media, and Kanal-13, have also been persecuted in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. They denied the charges in court, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption cases.
Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/417535