The Penitentiary Service has denied allegations of violence against a Meydan TV journalist.

Pretrial detention facility staff did not use violence against Meydan TV journalist Aytaj Tapdyg, the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service stated in response to a complaint from the arrested woman's relatives.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in February, Meydan TV journalists Aytaj Tapdyg (Akhmedova), Aysel Umudova, and Khayala Agayeva demanded an investigation into the violence against them in the Baku pretrial detention facility and the punishment of the security forces.

The Penitentiary Service responded to a complaint from Aytaj Tapdyg's relatives regarding the violence used against the imprisoned journalist on February 18, Meydan TV reported on its website on April 10.

"No illegal actions were committed against Aytaj Tapdyg; she was not subjected to pressure or torture," the publication quoted Fikret Gafarov, head of the Penitentiary Service's operational-regime department, as saying.

The Meydan TV case was opened in December 2024, when six journalists were detained and later arrested on charges of currency smuggling. They linked the criminal case to their professional activities. By August 2025, 11 people had been arrested in the Meydan TV case. 1 At the end of August, it was announced that the investigation had been completed, and a 12th suspect, photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar, had appeared in the case. At the same time, the arrested journalists were charged with seven more criminal offenses. 2 .

Those arrested in the Meydan TV case were persecuted at the direction of Azerbaijan's leadership for their journalistic activities, said one of the defendants, Shamshad Aga. "You have neither the authority nor the courage to make arbitrary decisions in any process controlled by [President] Ilham Aliyev. In these processes, the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge are Ilham Aliyev," he told the court.

Serial Arrests of Journalists in Azerbaijan

Journalists from other media outlets, including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also been persecuted in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. In court, they denied the charges, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.