AYSEL UMUDOVA
Independent journalist and women’s rights activist; worked for Meydan TV; imprisoned under bogus charges.
About Aysel Umudova
Aysel Umudova was born on 1 August 1992 in Azerbaijan. At the time of her arrest in 2024, she studied sociology.
She started working as a reporter for Meydan TV in 2014/2015 and has been an active journalist since. Working with the Berlin-based independent media platform, she reported on various sensitive topics, including government corruption and civil society issues. She often covered public protests and human rights rallies, and was recognised for reporting on queer issues. She also participated in feminist actions on 8 March, demanding that Azerbaijan join the Istanbul Convention.
In the past, she has been subjected to online harassment and smear campaigns. In November 2022, she was assaulted by police officers while covering opposition protests in Baku, resulting in a leg injury despite wearing a press vest. On the same day, she and other journalists were forcibly removed from the area, and their equipment was destroyed. After a rally, she revealed that police had attempted to intimidate participants by visiting their homes, including an address they believed was hers.
Case description
Aysel Umudova was arrested on 6 December 2024, along with several other Meydan TV journalists, as part of the “Meydan TV” persecution case. She was held in police custody overnight and interrogated without legal counsel present. On 8 December 2024, the Khatai District Court remanded Umudova to four months of pre-trial detention. During the following months, her pre-trial detention was prolonged several times, and the motion to transfer her to house arrest was denied.
Authorities initially charged Umudova under Criminal Code Article 206.3.2 for allegedly smuggling foreign currency by a group in prior collusion. She has denied all charges. According to her lawyer, she had long been under a travel ban, making smuggling impossible, and that she had taken precautions by filling out customs declarations when travelling after the ban was lifted.
On 28 August 2025, the charges were amended, and she and her co-defendants were charged with seven additional crimes, bringing the total to eight Criminal Code Articles, including illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, money laundering (legalisation of property obtained through crime), and document forgery.
In detention, Aysel’s health has deteriorated. Reports from December 2024 indicated that she suffered frequent panic attacks and stress-related illness. An ambulance was called twice due to spikes in her blood pressure and vomiting at the Baku Main Police Department.
In December 2025, the criminal case against Aysel Umudova was formally sent to the Baku Court for Serious (Grave) Crimes, and trials began in mid-December 2025.
Resources about Aysel Umudova
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