The deterioration of the condition of the arrested in the Meydan TV case has alarmed relatives.
The arrested journalist Shamshad Aga in Azerbaijan is suffering from acute pain attacks, his relatives said, urging for an urgent surgical operation.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the editor-in-chief of the argument.az website Shamshad Aga (Agaev) was arrested in February 2025 in the Meydan TV case. In September of the same year, he was placed in a medical institution of the Penitentiary Service due to health problems. The journalist suffers from a stomach ulcer, his relatives reported.
In July, after a change in the composition of judges in the Baku Serious Crimes Court, the process in the Meydan TV case resumed. The defense petitioned for a milder measure of restraint, drawing attention to the health condition of the accused and their difficult family circumstances. In particular, Shamshad Aga lost several close relatives - his mother, sister, and niece - during a year and a half of detention. However, the court refused to release the accused.
Shamshad Aga's health has deteriorated, and his family insists on an urgent operation, the journalist's brother reported.
According to him, a stone measuring 9-10 millimeters was found in Shamshad's gallbladder, and the journalist suffers from frequent acute pain attacks, Meydan TV reported on its website on November 13.
The brother of the arrested said that Shamshad Aga underwent a medical examination, which established that the stone needs to be surgically removed. However, the medical institution of the Penitentiary Service told relatives that the operation could only be performed at the journalist's own expense.
We urge not to delay the operation
"We are extremely concerned about my brother Shamshad Aga's health and urge not to delay the operation," the publication quoted the source as saying.
Earlier, on October 13, 2026, due to health complications, the journalist was transferred to specialized medical institution No. 3 of the Penitentiary Service, the publication noted.
It should be noted that journalist Ulviya Ali (Guliyeva), also arrested in the Meydan TV case , stated in April that she had been deprived of quality medical care for over a year in Baku's SIZO-1. She noted that only "once every three to four months, an ultrasound doctor from the main medical department of the Ministry of Justice comes and examines the needy prisoners".
In these processes, the investigator, prosecutor, and judge are Ilham Aliyev
The arrested in the Meydan TV case were persecuted on the orders of the Azerbaijani leadership for journalistic activities, Shamshad Aga indicated earlier. "You have neither the authority nor the courage to make arbitrary decisions in any process controlled by [the country's president] Ilham Aliyev. In these processes, the investigator, prosecutor, and judge are Ilham Aliyev," he stated in court.
The Meydan TV case was initiated in December 2024 when six journalists were detained and then 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 . At the end of August, it became known that the investigation was completed, and a 12th suspect appeared in the case - photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar. At the same time, the arrested journalists were charged with new accusations under seven more criminal articles . On December 12, 2025, at the first hearing in the Meydan TV case, the court refused to close the criminal case and release the accused.
Journalists from other media, including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also faced persecution in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and staff of Abzas Media were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 7.5 years to 9 years. In court, they rejected the charges, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and investigations into corruption cases.
The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached a peak in 2024, marking 23 years of the country's membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Main points about the record number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan". Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.
Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/428325
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