Journalists in Trouble is a monthly report of incidents targeting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists and their work, and developments affecting press freedom across 23 countries. Subscribe for exclusive updates. 

AZERBAIJAN: Farid Mehralizada Testifies in Baku

The unjust trial of RFE/RL journalist Farid Mehralizada continues in Baku. Farid faces up to 12 years in prison in connection with a case Azerbaijani authorities brought against the independent news outlet Abzas Media. Farid and Abzas Media deny working together.

On December 28, Farid defended his innocence before the court. “I have not committed any violation that would justify any article in the Criminal Code. But there is also an unofficial Criminal Code in Azerbaijan, and freedom of speech is considered a crime there. I committed that crime,” he said.

On January 21, Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli rejected the prosecution’s false inclusion of Farid as an employee of Abzas. “Farid had no cooperation with Abzas. We simply had a friendly relationship with him. There is not a single fact about his cooperation with Abzas in the case materials,” Hasanli asserted. The trial will resume on February 11.

On January 28, a Baku court will begin reviewing Farid’s complaint regarding the ill-treatment he suffered at the hands of Azerbaijani authorities during his detention on May 30, 2024. Farid was violently abducted by unidentified men who placed a bag over his head and forced him into a car. “Farid was subjected to treatment that even hardened criminals are not subjected to in this country,” his wife, Nargiz Mukhtarova, said.

Reporters Without Borders says the case brought against Abzas Media and Farid by the Azerbaijani government is “part of a broader strategy to discredit and neutralize independent media.”

TAKE ACTION: As Farid’s unjust trial continues, RFE/RL encourages supporters to amplify calls for his immediate release on social media using the hashtag #FreeFarid.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

• “I think my arrest highlighted how authoritarian governments, like Azerbaijan’s, fear the power of numbers,” Farid told VOA in an interview that he believes his journalistic work led to his arrest.  
• “Both of us believe that in our country there should be someone who can speak out about the truth.” Farid’s wife Nargiz Mukhtarova spoke about her husband’s case on Deutsche Welle’s Inside Europe podcast.

BELARUS: European Parliament Resolution Condemns Repression of Independent Media

On January 22, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the EU, its Member States, and the international community to reject Belarus’s upcoming presidential election as a sham and calling out the Lukashenka regime’s repression of independent media.

The resolution condemns the “systematic repression” of political opponents, activists, and journalists, including RFE/RL’s Ihar Losik. Ihar was detained on June 25, 2020, in advance of Belarus’s rigged presidential election that summer. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.

Another RFE/RL journalist, Andrey Kuznechyk, is serving a six-year sentence on baseless charges. Last month, Andrey marked his fourth birthday in prison.

The resolution also highlighted the “crucial role” played by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, Radio Svaboda, and other independent Belarusian media outlets in “providing essential information and serving as a platform for democratic voices.”

TAKE ACTION: RFE/RL encourages supporters to write letters to all our imprisoned journalists. Visit their pages on our website to learn how.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

• “Reporting the facts, undaunted by pressure.” Learn how RFE/RL’s journalists continue to report the truth despite intimidation, censorship, and physical harm in our new video.
• “I couldn’t even plan for the next year — I never knew what would happen the next day.” In an interview with Meduza, Alsu Kurmasheva spoke about what she remembers from her last New Year’s, spent behind bars.

My name is Rowan Humphries, Media and Advocacy Officer here at RFE/RL and the author of Journalists in Trouble. Thank you for reading and subscribing to our newsletter and for standing with persecuted journalists.  

If you are interested in collaborating to amplify the stories of our imprisoned journalists, you can reach us by emailing advocacy@rferl.org.