Three years at the OC Media academy

Imprisoned Azerbaijani opposition figure Ibadoghlu could ‘fall into coma’ 

The lawyer and family of the imprisoned opposition figure Gubad Ibadoghlu have accused the authorities of withholding treatment to Ibadoghlu and warned that he could fall into a coma. Ibadoghlu was arrested in July 2023 on charges of printing, acquiring, or selling counterfeit money and supporting religious extremism. [Listen on the Caucasus Digest: Podcast | The arrest of Gubad Ibadoghlu] On Monday, his lawyer, Zibeyda Sadigova, stated that Ibadoghlu was being denied treatment despite suf

Azerbaijan detains opposition youth activist

Azerbaijani police have detained a youth activist associated with the imprisoned opposition figure Gubad Ibadoghlu. Ayyub Chalabi was detained on 10 February. His father, Khayyam Chalabi, stated that the 23-year-old activist had disappeared after going out to buy bread from a store close to their home in Baku. ‘I learned from the neighbours that three people in civilian clothes stopped my son in the yard of our house and took him away in their car’, said Chalabi’s father, who chairs a local

AbzasMedia to continue from exile despite imprisonment of management team

The embattled Azerbaijani news site AbzasMedia will continue to operate from exile, despite its entire management team and several journalists having been imprisoned by Azerbaijan’s authorities. On Thursday, Abzas named veteran Azerbaijani journalist Leyla Mustafayeva as editor-in-chief. The move is understood to have been approved by the site’s founders.  ‘The government has depleted the resources of AbzasMedia by arresting its employees, and the resulting repressive environment makes it im

Azerbaijan leaves PACE after vote to exclude their delegation

Azerbaijan has suspended its participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), after the body voted not to ratify the Azerbaijani delegation’s credentials.  On 24 January, 76 delegates voted in favour of excluding Azerbaijan over its human rights record, with 10 voting against and 4 abstaining.  Shortly before the vote, Azerbaijan’s delegation announced that it was suspending participation in and cooperation with the body indefinitely.  Reasons given in favour of

Azerbaijan detains 10th media worker ahead of elections

Azerbaijani police have detained journalist Shahin Rzayev near his home in Baku, making him the 10th media worker to be detained in the country since late November. Rzayev was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest on charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying the orders of the police. Prior to the Interior Ministry’s confirmation of Rzayev’s arrest and sentencing on Monday evening, his family had reported that they had not heard from him since he left to buy groceries near their hom