Azerbaijani authorities detained Shamshad Agayev, editor-in-chief of the news outlet Argument.az, late Tuesday, escalating a growing crackdown on independent media.
Law enforcement officials searched Agayev’s residence in the capital Baku, and seized his mobile phone, computer, modem, and journalist identification cards.
Shahid Agayev, the journalist’s brother, said that around 2 a.m., a group of masked police officers entered their home, conducted a thorough search, and confiscated several personal belongings.
Agayev had previously been questioned last summer, as a witness in the Toplum TV case at the Baku City Main Police Department. At that time, investigative authorities imposed a travel ban on him, preventing him from leaving the country.
His lawyer told Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani service that Agayev was detained as a suspect in the Meydan TV case, which involves allegations of smuggling conducted by a group of individuals.
Reacting to Agayev’s arrest, human rights activist Samir Kazimli questioned the legitimacy of the charges in a Facebook post. “He repeatedly asked me for a loan of 50 manats ($29), and I offered him 20 manats ($12), which he accepted,” Kazimli wrote. “Shamshad has serious health issues but he couldn’t seek treatment because it is not free. Is this how a currency smuggler lives? The authorities should stop this disgrace and release Shamshad and other political prisoners."
Agayev’s arrest follows a pattern of detentions related to the Meydan TV case. In December last year, Azerbaijan authorities detained Toplum TV editor-in-chief Aynur Elgunesh, along with journalists Aytac Tapdig, Natig Javadlı, Khayala Agayeva, Aysel Umudova, Ramin Deko, and Baku Journalism School deputy director, Ulvi Tahirov. They were charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to smuggling committed by a group of individuals in prior collusion, and were placed in pretrial detention for four months.
Since November 2023, nearly 30 journalists and civil activists in Azerbaijan have been arrested on smuggling charges. However, they reject these accusations, calling them politically motivated and an attempt to silence independent journalism.