Episode Details

Nine journalists and founders of independent Azerbaijani news outlet Toplum TV have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years for allegedly misusing Western donor funds — charges they vehemently deny. The verdict, seen as politically motivated and a direct attack on press freedom, comes amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan. Once the country’s last major independent news source, Toplum TV was raided and its staff arrested in March. International media watchdogs have condemned the sentences as part of a broader campaign to silence critical voices. With appeals unlikely to succeed given the trial’s conduct, the ruling underscores Azerbaijan’s growing repression of free speech under President Ilham Aliyev.

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