Judges left the courtroom after the defendant in the Meydan TV case criticized the authorities.
A hearing on the Meydan TV case at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes was disrupted after journalist Khayala Agayeva spoke out, declaring the persecution of the publication's employees to be politically motivated and recalling corruption scandals involving Azerbaijani politicians.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Meydan TV case was opened in December 2024. By August 2025, 12 people had been arrested. On December 12, 2025, at the first hearing on the Meydan TV case, the Baku court refused to close the criminal case and release the accused. On May 1, the journalists arrested in the Meydan TV case protested at a court hearing, chanting slogans in defense of freedom of speech.
On May 22, the Meydan TV trial continued at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Ayten Aliyeva. An activist observing the trial told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that at the beginning of the hearing, accused journalist Natig Javadli stated that the issue of issuing a power of attorney to his relatives had not been resolved.
"The journalist said that after many months, the court finally issued the document required by the notary, which was drawn up with errors, and the notary refused to certify it. Natig Javadli expressed outrage at the irresponsibility of the court staff. However, the judges did not respond to his comments," the source said.
Then, defendant Khayala Agayeva testified. The journalist noted that the World Urban Forum is currently taking place in Baku. According to her, while officials are declaring their concern for preserving Baku's architectural heritage to guests, Meydan TV journalists were preparing a report on the demolition of buildings in the city's historic district and residents' discontent. She also spoke about Meydan TV's investigations into corruption among high-ranking officials and their expensive real estate abroad.
According to Natig Javadli, Agayeva also recalled the "caviar diplomacy" and "Azerbaijani Laundromat" scandals.
On December 17, 2016, the European Stability Initiative (ESI) website published an investigation, "Caviar Diplomacy - 2", about the practice of Azerbaijani politicians bribing PACE members to make decisions favorable to official Baku. According to this report, Luca Volonte, head of the European People's Party faction in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, named numerous European politicians who selflessly lobbied for the interests of the Azerbaijani authorities.
"During Agayeva's speech, the judges interrupted her several times and demanded that she speak on the merits of the case. However, Agayeva continued to discuss the reasons for the arrest of the publication's journalists. She said that Meydan TV's work was aimed at countering government pressure and manipulation. But when she reached the point where she began to expose the scandal involving the Azerbaijani government's bribery of PACE members, the judges left the courtroom. "Thus, the hearing was postponed indefinitely," the activist said.
The September 4, 2017, publication "Azerbaijani Laundromat" on the website of the Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) contains information about representatives of the Azerbaijani ruling elite bribing lobbyists in Europe. The independent investigative team concluded that European politicians and officials lobbied for Azerbaijan's interests in exchange for bribes. On May 15, 2018, PACE imposed sanctions against the head of the Azerbaijani delegation, Samad Seyidov.
The lawyer for one of the defendants in the case confirmed the judges' withdrawal from the hearing. "Each defendant has the right to say whatever they want in their defense, and the court should not interrupt them or deprive them of the right to speak. Unfortunately, this often happens in the Meydan TV trial. "The trial is being unreasonably delayed. Journalists consider their case political and are rigorously arguing this in court," the defense attorney said.
An employee of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes reported that "the parties will be notified separately of the date of the next hearing."
It should be noted that journalists from other media outlets, including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also been persecuted in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. They denied the charges in court, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption cases.