Baku Court Upholds 9-Year Prison Sentence Against Radio Free Europe Journalist Mehralizada

A court in Azerbaijan has upheld the nine-year prison sentence handed to journalist and economist Farid Mehralizada on charges he says are tied directly to his critical reporting for RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Azadliq Radiosu.

The Baku Court of Serious Crimes on September 9 rejected appeals of the convictions of Mehralizada and six other journalists, all of whom denied any wrongdoing. The group was originally handed sentences of between 7 1/2 and nine years on June 20.

"We strongly condemn the court's decision to uphold Farid's unjust and baseless sentence," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Capus said after the court announcement.

"Today should have marked Farid’s return to his wife and baby. Instead, he remains behind bars, denied the justice he deserves."

Mehralizada was first held on May 30, 2024, when security agents jumped him, put a hood over his head, and whispered in his ear, "You talk too much."

RFE/RL Journalist In Azerbaijan Sentenced To 9 Years

Two days later, a Baku court placed Mehralizada in pretrial detention for "conspiring to smuggle foreign currency" in connection with a case Azerbaijani authorities brought against Abzas Media.

Immediately following the arrest, Abzas Media issued a statement asserting that Mehralizada had no direct involvement with the outlet and was one of many experts whose comments appeared on its website.

The founder of Abzas, Ulvi Hasanli and its editor-in-chief, Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqizi), were also sentenced to nine years in prison on June 20.

Abzas employee Mahammad Kekalov was handed 7 1/2 years, while the editor of the Turan Information Agency Hafiz Babali was given nine years. Journalists Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova were sentenced to eight years each in prison as part of the case.

During his trial, Mehralizada carefully laid out the circumstances of his arrest as evidence that the case was politically motivated as a response to his "critical opinions regarding the social and economic policies implemented in Azerbaijan."

Mehralizada's economic analyses frequently criticized Azerbaijan's reliance on oil and gas and questioned official unemployment and poverty statistics.

He was first charged with smuggling, but additional charges, including illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, gang smuggling, and document forgery, were subsequently added -- accusations he and his supporters called fabricated and further evidence that the case was being driven by political forces.

A Trend Of Suppressing Dissent

Since taking power shortly before the death of his predecessor and father, Heydar Aliyev, in 2003, President Ilham Aliyev has faced accusations of suppressing dissent by detaining journalists, opposition figures, and civil society activists.

That trend appears to have accelerated recently, with more than 30 journalists and human rights defenders arrested on similar charges that international institutions regard as politically motivated.

Yet Azerbaijani authorities consistently deny these characterizations. In the case of Mehralizada and others recently detained, the government insists their arrests stem from specific criminal acts, not political reprisal.