Affiliated media: Meydan TV, News portal
Incident date: December 22, 2025
Attack type:
- Court trial
Who attacked: Authorities
Source: Jam News
Location: Azerbaijan, Baku
Additional information:
The State Tax Service has filed a civil lawsuit for 79,589 AZN against 12 journalists, who are currently in detention in connection with the Meydan TV case. The lawsuit was announced during the journalists’ court hearing on 22 December. The case is being heard by a panel of judges at the Baku Court for Serious Crimes, chaired by A. Aliyeva. A representative of the State Tax Service attended the court as the plaintiff. The agency alleges that the journalists evaded paying taxes. The 12 Meydan TV employees—Aynur Elgunesh, Aysel Umudova, Natig Javadli, Aytaj Tapdig, Khayala Agayeva, Ramin Deko, Ulvi Tahirov, Shamshad Agayev, Nurlan, Fatima Movlamli, Ulviyya Ali, and Ahmed Mukhtar—are currently in detention. They were detained after December 2024 and face charges of “illegal entrepreneurship,” “laundering of proceeds from crime,” “tax evasion,” and “smuggling.” The journalists deny all charges, stating that their imprisonment is a result of their critical stance.