Azerbaijan Sentences Toplum TV Founders to 15 Years Prison

An Azerbaijani court sentenced Ilham Aliyev's government targets, including two co-founders of independent news outlet Toplum TV, to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years. Co-founders Akif Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzatli received the maximum 15-year sentences, while three journalists and four civil society activists received terms between 12 and 14 years.

The convictions involve charges of smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion, and document forgery. These legal actions follow a March 2024 police raid on the Toplum TV newsroom and stem from a media law prohibiting foreign funding of media organizations. President Ilham Aliyev defended the ban on foreign funding, arguing that the United States finances media in Azerbaijan through Voice of America and Radio Liberty to spread slander.

Defendants and press freedom advocates describe the prosecution as politically motivated efforts to silence reporting on corruption and governance. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Reporters Without Borders characterized the journalists as victims of state persecution. The defendants intend to appeal the verdicts.