Authorities in Azerbaijan have detained six journalists on smuggling charges, an independent Azerbaijani news outlet said Saturday.

The organization said five of the journalists – Aynur Ganbarova, Aytaj Ahmadova, Khayala Agayeva, Natig Javadli and Aysel Umudova – were Meydan TV employees. It described a sixth person, Ramin Jabrayilzade, as an independent reporter.

Meydan TV, which is headquartered in Berlin and whose website has been blocked in Azerbaijan since 2019, has complained of harassment by the Azerbaijani government. It refuted the charges against its employees and said that most of the detained journalists had had their homes searched and equipment and personal belongings seized.

The journalists were detained in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku Friday evening, local media reported. The country’s Interior Ministry said Jabrailzade had been detained in connection with the illegal import of foreign currency.

Lawyers representing Umudova, Ahmadova, and Agayeva later confirmed that they too had been accused of conspiring to smuggle contraband into the country. If convicted, they face five to eight years in prison.

Ahmadova’s representative, Javad Javadov, said that police were set to detain the journalist for 48 hours. “She pleaded not guilty and noted that journalism is not a crime,” Javadov said.

“Despite these attempts to silence us, we at Meydan TV have continued our work as journalists, publicized the events taking place in the country and the problems of ordinary citizens, and have done this all free of censorship,” Meydan TV said.

Azerbaijan has had a poor human rights record for many years and the government has regularly targeted journalists, activists and independent politicians.

Elections since independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s haven’t been regarded as fully free or fair. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Azerbaijan’s most recent parliamentary elections in September took place in a “restrictive” environment. They were marked by turnout of 37% and no opposition party won any seats.

News from © The Associated Press, 2024