Aysel Umudova – journalist of the Meydan TV, an online Azerbaijani media outlet Date of arrest: 6 December 2024 Charge: Articles 192.2.2 (Illegal business, committed with gaining an extra large-scale income); 192.2.3 (Illegal business, committed by organized group); 193-1.3.1 (Legalization of money or other property obtained by crime, committed by an organized group or a criminal organization (criminal association); 193-1.3.2 (Legalization of money or other property obtained by crime, committed in large amount); 206.4 (Smuggling, committed by the organized group); 213.2.1 (Evasion from payment of taxes, committed by the organized group); 320.1 (Fake of certificate or other official document giving the rights or releasing from duties, with a view of its use or selling of such document, as well as manufacturing in same purposes or selling of counterfeit state awards of the Azerbaijan Republic, stamps, seals, forms) and 320.2 (Use of obviously counterfeit documents) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 8 December 2024, the Baku City Khatai District Court issued a ruling: to apply a preventive measure against Aysel Umudova in the form of arrest for a period of 4 months.
The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended times Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center № 1 at the Kyurdakhani settlement in Baku City Sabunchu District Conclusion: 23 On 6 December 2024, the Baku City Khatai District Police arrested 6 employees of the Meydan TV.
Among them is Aysel Umudova, journalist of the Meydan TV.
All employees were detained for 48 hours and their lawyers were not allowed in.
A journalist working for Meydan TV anonymously explained that ‘of course, they will allow lawyers later, but first of all they want to take testimonies of our colleagues and deprive them of qualified legal assistance”.
Shortly after the Khatai District Court's judgement, Aqil Layij, Aysel Umudova's lawyer, declared that ‘the Court's ruling is unreasonable and illegal’.
He further added, ‘Aysel is in a bad condition, it was twice called an emergency medical assistance, when she was detained in the Baku City Police Department and in the temporary detention center of the Khatai District Police Department.
We do not know what kind of smuggling is being talked about with regard to Aysel Umudova.
She noted that her departure from the country had been banned for a long time and there could be no question of smuggling at that time.
After the ban was lifted, she filled out a customs declaration every time she travelled abroad on educational trips in order to avoid such accusations in the future.
This was because Aysel knew that it was dangerous to practice journalism in Azerbaijan.
Moreover, she was subjected to rigorous customs checks every time she travelled abroad”.
Initially, Aysel Umudova was charged with involvement in smuggling, which she denied.
On 28 August 2025, Aysel Umudova, as the other accused in the case of Meydan TV, was charged with additional seven articles of the AR Criminal Code The editorial staff of the Meydan TV called the detention and interrogation of the journalists illegal and denied the accusations in its statement.
The arrest of all employees of the Baku Meydan TV caused a wide resonance and disapproval among many politicians and representatives of the Azerbaijani civil society.
The arrest also provoked a negative reaction abroad.
