Decades before a series of arrests beginning in the fall of 2023 led to the mass arrests and imprisonment of dozens of Azerbaijani journalists, the groundwork was laid for a sweeping crackdown on civil society under Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.聽
For years, the Aliyev regime promoted propaganda campaigns intended to discredit Azerbaijan鈥檚 independent news outlets by painting them as the pawns of foreign interests. Then, in 2022, Aliyev signed a which imposed new and insidious restrictions on the practice of independent journalism in Azerbaijan.听听
Yet the pace of repression began to accelerate following Aliyev鈥檚 decision to hold early presidential elections in February 2024.聽
On the morning of November 20, 2023, Ulvi Hasanli, the director of Abzas Media, was arrested by Azerbaijani police and charged with financial crimes, charges widely understood as politically motivated retaliation for Abzas Media鈥檚 investigations exposing government corruption.
鈥淓verything turned overnight,鈥� Gunel Safarova, acting director and editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, told IPI in an interview. “Journalism became a crime.鈥澛�
Following Hasanli鈥檚 arrest, five more Abzas Media journalists, and one journalist affiliated with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, , were arrested, charged, and tried as a group. Then in December 2024, just weeks after the conclusion of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, six Meydan TV journalists were arrested in a new wave of repression targeting the outlet that journalists and media workers unaffiliated with Meydan TV.
鈥淭his level of arresting whole media outlets鈥hat was really new, and showed the Aliyev regime sought to completely silence independent media,鈥� Orkhan Mammad, co-editor-in-chief of Meydan TV, told IPI. 鈥淭hey are not going to stop.鈥澛犅�
In June 2025, the six Abzas Media journalists and Mehralizada were convicted and sentenced by an Azerbaijani court to prison terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. The trial of those detained as part of the government鈥檚 case against Meydan TV is ongoing. If convicted, the journalists face up to 12 years in prison.
In recognition of the resilience, bravery, and commitment to press freedom demonstrated by all of Abzas Media and Meydan TV鈥檚 unjustly imprisoned journalists, IPI and IMS have named the two organisations recipients of the 2026 Free Media Pioneer Award.听听
Exiled, but not silenced
Following the crackdown that began in November 2023, many of Abzas Media and Meydan TV鈥檚 journalists were forced to flee the country. In the words of Safarova, of Abzas Media, 鈥渃reating a system of fear, where no one is able to speak freely, that was the aim of the Aliyev regime.鈥�
Yet despite Aliyev鈥檚 attempts to silence independent voices inside Azerbaijan, the work of Abzas Media and Meydan TV has largely continued from exile, complemented by reports filed by both outlets鈥� journalists behind bars.聽
鈥淔or exiled media like us, it鈥檚 very important to continue because our colleagues in prison are still reporting,鈥� said Safarova. 鈥淓ven from within those soulless, black cells, they continue to write, to expose corruption and systematic abuses inside the prison walls.鈥澛�
Despite the difficulties of reporting in exile, Abzas Media and Meydan TV鈥檚 teams abroad have found new ways to carry on reporting on a country they can no longer go back to. 鈥淲e have a large audience, they contact us despite the risks, send information, complain, and share news,鈥� Sevda Samedova, co-editor-in-chief of Meydan TV, explained to IPI.
While Abzas Media and Meydan TV continue to report on the excesses of the Aliyev regime, both outlets are most proud of their reporting on social issues and the day-to-day problems faced by ordinary Azerbaijanis, which have affected demonstrable changes at home. 鈥淚t matters that we鈥檙e covering that someone doesn鈥檛 get their pension, or that the roads are bad and need to be fixed,鈥� said Mammad.聽
Resistance behind bars
Despite joining the Council of Europe in 2001, Azerbaijan has now become a of political prisoners, including many journalists who report on corruption and abuses of power by the Aliyev regime.
The plight of the more than 25 journalists and media workers imprisoned in Azerbaijan has grown even more dire as conditions behind bars worsen. Many of Abzas Media and Meydan TV’s imprisoned journalists describe retaliation and punishment at the hands of prison guards, including and forced stays in isolated cells without showers, ventilation, or open windows.
Repression has even extended to the of the targeted journalists, who have faced intimidation, detentions, travel bans, and financial pressure.聽
In June, the entire judicial panel that had been overseeing the Meydan TV trial , effectively taking the case 鈥渂ack to zero鈥� as Mammad explained, describing how the government employs such deliberate tactics to 鈥減sychologically torture鈥� the journalists on trial. But their work does not stop.
Despite the forces against them, Abzas Media and Meydan TV鈥檚 imprisoned journalists have continued to their commitment to independent journalism in the courtroom, and via the words they write from their prison cells, offering an inspiring example of media resistance to rising authoritarianism.
鈥淐orruption in Azerbaijan is still at an unimaginable level and human rights are still being violated,鈥� said Samedova, of Meydan TV. 鈥淎nd as an independent media outlet, as long as we exist, despite arrests and pressure, regardless of where we are, we will cover this.鈥澛�
Occasionally, Safarova is able to call her imprisoned colleague Sevinc Vaqifqizi, Abzas Media鈥檚 editor-in-chief, in prison. 鈥淗er voice is always filled with bravery,鈥� she describes. 鈥淵ou can hear and feel how she still wants to work, how she still wants to continue doing her job.鈥澛�
About the Free Media Pioneer Award
The IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award is presented annually to organisations or media communities meeting the demands of the moment through innovative models of journalism, media, or press freedom defence.聽
The 2026 recipients of the Free Media Pioneer Award are Abzas Media, Meydan TV, and the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (El CLIP). The 2026 recipients were drawn from a global shortlist of organisations from around the world that have been true trailblazers in opening up new frontiers for the free flow of news and information in their countries and regions.
The 2025 recipient of the Free Media Pioneer Award was Hungary鈥檚 independent media in recognition of their innovation, adaptation, and endurance under sustained political and economic pressure. Other past recipients include Kloop (Kyrgyzstan), Myanmar Now, and Rappler (Philippines). See all past Free Media Pioneer Award recipients.