Azerbaijan sentences nine Toplum TV-linked journalists and activists

A Baku court on July 27 sentenced nine journalists, media workers and civil-society activists linked to independent outlet Toplum TV to prison, including 15-year terms for Akif Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzetli.

The Baku Court of Serious Crimes issued sentences ranging from 11 months and 28 days to 15 years. The case centers on prosecution allegations that the defendants acted as an organized criminal group to receive and use Western donor funds in violation of Azerbaijani law. The defendants denied wrongdoing, and their lawyers said they would appeal.

What the court decided

The defendants were associated with Toplum TV, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives and related civic and media work. According to the detailed account published by Caucasian Knot, Gurbanov and Izzetli were sentenced to 15 years; Alasgar Mammadli, Toplum TV’s founder, and Ali Zeynal received 14 years; Ramil Babayev, Mushfig Jabbar and Ilkin Amrakhov received 13 years; Farid Ismailov received 12 years; and Elmira Abbasova received 11 months and 28 days.

The Associated Press described the case as involving journalists and activists connected to Toplum TV and reported the defendants’ denials and planned appeals. The International Federation of Journalists published a different sentence detail for Elmir Abbasov, listing a 12-year term. The regional report gives the more complete breakdown and identifies Abbasova as the defendant sentenced to 11 months and 28 days.

The prosecution’s allegations are not the same as an independent finding that the defendants committed the conduct alleged. Defense lawyers said the evidence was insufficient, that the charges were not supported by material proof and that appeals would be filed. No appellate outcome was established in the sources reviewed.

Why Toplum TV matters

Caucasian Knot described Toplum TV as an independent platform for different views on social, political and economic affairs. The case follows police raids on the offices of Toplum TV and the Institute for Democratic Initiatives and arrests of most of the defendants in March 2024, according to the IFJ.

The raids and arrests are procedural background, while the July 27 convictions are the newly confirmed development. Toplum TV later announced that it was suspending its activities in Azerbaijan, according to Caucasian Knot.

International reaction

The European and International Federations of Journalists condemned the sentences and called for the immediate release of the convicted media workers. The organizations characterized the trial as politically motivated and part of broader repression of journalists. Those are attributed press-freedom assessments, not independent legal findings.

The Council of Europe has separately expressed concern about criminal proceedings involving Azerbaijani journalists and civil-society activists. That broader institutional context should not be read as a case-specific ruling or statement on the Toplum TV verdict.

No case-specific Azerbaijani government response was established from the reviewed Media Development Agency material. That document concerned Iranian restrictions rather than the Toplum TV judgment.

What happens next

The immediate next step is the defense appeal process. The appeal plans will determine whether the convictions and sentences receive further judicial review and whether any terms are changed, overturned or upheld.

For journalists, civic groups and audiences in Azerbaijan, the case illustrates how criminal-finance allegations can have consequences for organizations involved in independent reporting and public-interest work. The international response means the verdict is also likely to remain under scrutiny from press-freedom and human-rights organizations.

Sources

• Associated Press report on the July 27 convictions
• Caucasian Knot account of the appeal plans and sentence list
• International Federation of Journalists response
• Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights context