Shamshad Aga criticized the court in the Meydan TV case for following the authorities' orders.

Those arrested in the Meydan TV case were persecuted for their journalistic activities at the behest of Azerbaijan's leadership, one of the defendants, Shamshad Agha, testified in court. The court extended his pretrial detention, refusing to transfer him to house arrest.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, Shamshad Agha (Agayev), editor-in-chief of the argument.az website, was arrested on February 5 in connection with the Meydan TV case. In September, he was placed in a Penitentiary Service medical facility due to health problems. The journalist suffers from a stomach ulcer, according to his relatives.

14:32 31.10.2025

Serial Arrests of Journalists in Azerbaijan

Since November 2023, a series of arrests of independent media journalists has taken place in Azerbaijan, and several criminal cases have been opened under a similar scenario. The "Caucasian Knot" report details what led to the new wave of repression against the independent press.

A hearing was held in Baku's Khatai District Court to discuss extending Shamshad Aga's pretrial detention, Meydan TV reports. The journalist himself spoke at the hearing. He stated that the prosecutor's office and the court have no authority in this "unfair trial" since the process is under the president's control.

"You have neither the authority nor the courage to make arbitrary decisions in any trial controlled by Ilham Aliyev. In these trials, the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge are Ilham Aliyev," he stated.

The journalists arrested in the "Meydan TV case" were persecuted "not for any criminal offense, but for their journalistic activities," Aga emphasized.

Don't waste our time; follow all his instructions.

"In other words, what is happening is a continuation of the repression against independent media. You also received an order to extend your arrest. Therefore, the court is formal in nature, which means that any order received will be executed. Neither the documents presented today "The statement [of the prosecutor's office], nor the criminal case as a whole, are based on any legal procedure or fact... Therefore, don't waste our time, comply with all the instructions of the 'chairman of the court,' all his instructions, and let's go!" Aga said after a representative of the prosecutor's office asked the court to extend the journalist's detention.

In turn, the lawyer petitioned for the journalist to be transferred to house arrest. However, the judge denied the petition and extended Shamshad Aga's detention by 20 days – until December 25, the publication states.

As a reminder, the lawyers "did not hear any reasonable explanations from the investigative body" for Aga's detention, the journalist's lawyer, Shakhla Humbatova, told the "Caucasian Knot" in February. "After all, he had previously been summoned to appear in a separate case and immediately reported to the police. On the other hand, he had already been banned from leaving the country. So, there's no reason to believe he could abscond or evade the investigation. However, the court ultimately chose arrest as a preventive measure against Aga... We still don't understand how the court based its decision. Because the operative part of the ruling was announced," she said.

By August 2025, 11 people had been arrested in connection with the Meydan TV case. 1 At the end of August, it was announced that the investigation had been completed, and a 12th suspect, photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar, had emerged in the case. The arrested journalists were also charged with seven more criminal offenses. [The text appears to be incomplete and likely omitted.] ... In court, they denied the charges, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.