Jailed journalists
Farid Mehralizada grabbed from Baku street and imprisoned
Economist and journalist sentenced to 9 years in ‘sham’ trial
Farid Mehralizada has been detained in Azerbaijan since May 30, 2024, when unidentified men grabbed the journalist near a metro station in Baku, placed a bag over his head, and took the RFE/RL journalist to a police station. Later that day, Azeri police raided the journalist’s home, seizing his car and devices.
Mehralizada, an economist and journalist, is one of 25 journalists including VOA contributor Ulviyya Guliyeva, detained by Azeri authorities in what rights groups believe is a crackdown on independent journalists and civil society. Most are held on accusations of financial crimes linked to Western funding.
RFE/RL has described the case against Mehralizada as a “sham.”
In June 2025, a court sentenced Mehralizada to nine years in prison. In comments to court after being convicted, the journalist said, “I understand very well that the verdict you will read out will not be the verdict of the judges, but the verdict of those who have ordered our incarceration.”
In a statement after the sentencing, RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said that Mehralizada has “lost a great deal,” including key moments like the birth of his child. “Denying this man his fundamental rights is unnecessarily cruel. Instead of perpetuating this sham, it is time to reunite Farid with his family.”
Mehralizada worked for RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, Radio Azadliq, where he covered economic stories. Radio Azadliq is blocked in Azerbaijan, and the broadcaster has worked in exile since 2014 after police raided its office in the capital, Baku.
Last updated February 26, 2026
Farid Mehralizada
Country: Azerbaijan
Charge: Currency smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion and document forgery
Sentence: 9 years
Azerbaijan
For more than a decade, President Ilham Aliyev has moved to suppress critics in Azerbaijan, including through jailings. The harassment increased in late 2023 with more than a dozen arrests of journalists accused of sham charges such as money laundering. Nearly all independent journalism is done by journalists in exile or broadcasters like VOA who provide independent, accurate information to people living in the country. Spyware has been found on the phones of prominent investigative journalists. Critics warn that a journalism registry, which the government says it set up to improve media relations, will be used to further stifle independent reporting and make it even harder for freelance reporters to work. Azerbaijan is currently detaining a RFE/RL contributor and a VOA contributor.