Doctors acknowledged the deterioration of the condition of the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV.

Journalist Aynur Elgyunesh has been transferred from the Baku pre-trial detention center to a medical facility, and after examination, doctors confirmed the need for urgent surgery.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the condition of the arrested editor-in-chief of Meydan TV, Aynur Elgyunesh, is close to critical, but the decision to transfer her to a medical facility is being delayed, relatives said on October 16. According to them, a specialist in ultrasound examined Aynur three times, and each time confirmed that her kidney is on the verge of failure. However, the delay in transferring her to the hospital is explained by the need for "another examination by a doctor".

Aynur Elgyunesh has been transferred to a medical facility of the Penitentiary Service due to a deterioration in her health condition, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova reported.

"Aynur Elgyunesh has serious health problems, she has undergone 17 surgeries. Even before her arrest, she was preparing for another surgical intervention. Currently, the most significant danger is the condition of her kidneys," Sadigova is quoted by Meydan TV on its website today.

According to the lawyers, a medical examination revealed a stone measuring 18 millimeters in the journalist's kidney, and doctors recommend urgent surgery. Additionally, according to the defense, Elgyunesh has been found to have neoplasms in her chest.

At the same time, the journalist herself is dissatisfied with the sanitary conditions in the medical facility and expressed a desire to return to the Baku pre-trial detention center. The lawyers plan to file petitions for a more thorough medical examination of Elgyunesh and surgery in another state or private medical facility, the publication writes.

It should be noted that the case of Meydan TV was initiated in December 2024, when six journalists were detained and subsequently arrested on charges of currency smuggling. They linked the criminal case to their professional activities. By August 2025, 11 people had been arrested in the case of Meydan TV 1 . At the end of August, it became known that the investigation was completed, and a 12th suspect appeared in the case - photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar. At the same time, the arrested journalists were charged with new accusations under seven more criminal articles 2 . On December 12, 2025, at the first hearing in the case of Meydan TV, the court refused to close the criminal case and release the accused.

The arrested in the case of Meydan TV were subjected to persecution on the orders of the Azerbaijani leadership for journalistic activities, one of the accused, Shamshad Aga, previously stated. "You have neither the authority nor the courage to make arbitrary decisions in any process controlled by [the country's president] Ilham Aliyev. In these processes, both the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge are Ilham Aliyev," he stated in court.

Serial arrests of journalists in Azerbaijan

Journalists from other media outlets, including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also faced persecution in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 7.5 years to 9 years. In court, they rejected the charges, emphasizing that they are being persecuted for their professional activities and investigations into corruption cases.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached a peak in 2024, marking 23 years of the country's membership in the Council of Europe, according to a report by the "Caucasian Knot" "Main points about the record number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan". At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.