Relatives reported the transfer of the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV to the hospital.

The editor-in-chief of Meydan TV, Aynur Elgunesh, was transferred from custody to the Central Customs Hospital, where doctors performed surgery that her relatives and defense insisted on.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on October 26, the court in Baku did not satisfy the defense's request to transfer the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV, Aynur Elgunesh, to house arrest, for whom doctors recommended urgent surgical intervention.

Aynur Elgunesh underwent kidney surgery on November 13, her relatives reported.

According to them, on November 12, the journalist was taken to the Central Customs Hospital, and the next day she was operated on, Meydan TV informs on its website.

There is currently no detailed information about the outcome of the surgery and the health condition of Aynur Elgunesh, as noted in the publication.

The Central Customs Hospital is located in Baku and is associated with the Medical Service Department of the State Customs Committee. The clinic has outpatient and inpatient departments, histological and general laboratories, "extensive diagnostic capabilities and resources for providing emergency and urgent medical care," departments of general and plastic/reconstructive surgery, as well as transplantation and pediatric cardiac surgery, according to the description on the Russian-language version of the hospital's website.

Relatives demanded hospitalization for Elgunesh for almost a month

Recall that on October 16, relatives stated that Aynur Elgunesh's condition significantly worsened on October 14 and was close to critical, but the decision to transfer her from the Baku pre-trial detention center to a medical facility was delayed. According to them, an ultrasound specialist examined Aynur three times, and each time confirmed that her kidney was on the verge of failure. However, the delay in transferring her to the hospital was explained by the need for "another examination by a doctor."

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. In particular, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova informed the court that Aynur Elgunesh had serious health problems, she is disabled and has undergone 17 surgical operations. However, the court did not satisfy the petitions.

The Meydan TV case was initiated in December 2024, when six journalists were detained and subsequently 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 . Later, a 12th suspect appeared in the case - photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar. At the same time, the arrested journalists were charged with new accusations under seven additional criminal articles 2 . 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.

The arrested individuals in the Meydan TV case were subjected to persecution on the orders of the Azerbaijani leadership for their journalistic activities, one of the accused, Shamshad Aga, previously stated. "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, both the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge are Ilham Aliyev," he stated in court.

Journalists from other media outlets have also faced persecution in Azerbaijan. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report on this "Serial arrests of journalists in Azerbaijan".