Beydulla Manafov

Affiliated media: Freelance journalist

Incident date: January 14, 2026

Attack type:

• arrest in absentia

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Apa.az

Location: Azerbaijan, Baku

Additional information:

On 14 January, the Baku Serious Crimes Court held a trial in absentia against blogger Abid Qafarov, who lives abroad, and journalists Sevinj Osmanqizi and Beydulla Manafov, delivering a verdict in their absence and sentencing each of them to eight years’ imprisonment. The journalists and the blogger were primarily charged with “public calls directed against the state” and had left Azerbaijan more than ten years ago due to pressure.