Date of Birth: 4 September 1998
Detained Since: 17 January 2025 (initially placed under police supervision on 6 March 2024)
Affiliation: Journalist, Toplum TV; formerly Pressklub and Kanal 13

Charges:

• Conspiracy to commit illegal entrepreneurship (Art. 192.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering (Arts. 193-1.3.1, 193-1.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling (Art. 206.4)

• Conspiracy to commit tax evasion (Art. 213.2.1)

• Arranging employment of a substantial number of employees without labour contracts (Art. 162-1)

Conviction and Sentence:
Trial stage. No conviction or sentence to date.

Political Prisoner Status:
His detention meets criteria (a) and (e) of PACE Resolution 1900 (2012):

• Violation of freedom of expression and association under the ECHR.

• Prosecution is politically motivated, targeting him for work with an independent media outlet (Toplum TV).

Summary:
Farid Ismayilov is an Azerbaijani journalist known for investigative and social-issues reporting in a highly restricted media environment. He worked with Pressklub and Kanal 13 before joining Toplum TV in 2022, where he produced reporting on governance, corruption, and rights abuses.

On 6 March 2024, police raided the shared offices of IDI/Toplum TV and TRP, as well as several staff homes, seizing equipment and phones; searches were conducted without lawyers present. Authorities claimed to “discover” 123,048.96 AZN in mixed currencies. Detainees stated the cash was planted while they were under police control. Farid was placed under police supervision that day and released under those conditions.

On 8 March 2024, he was charged with conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling; on 12 March 2025, prosecutors escalated the case to include illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, and labour-code violations, all under the Toplum TV case rubric. On 17 January 2025, the Khatai District Court remanded him in custody pending trial.

The case relies on undisclosed “operational information,” searches conducted without procedural safeguards, and speculative associations rather than verifiable evidence linking Farid to smuggling or financial crimes. Courts repeatedly extended detention, while pro-government media ran defamatory coverage. The pattern mirrors the broader 2023–2024 crackdown enabled by restrictive media (2021) and political party (2022) laws and resembles earlier repression cycles condemned by the European Court of Human Rights.

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