AYTAJ AHMADOVA
News journalist working for Meydan TV; imprisoned under bogus charges.
About Aytaj Ahmadova
Aytaj Ahmadova, known professionally as Aytaj Tapdig, was born on 18 July 1993 in Baku, Azerbaijan. She is a journalist and women’s rights activist. In 2010, she graduated from secondary school in the Yasamal District and later attended the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University. In 2014, she also graduated from the Baku School of Journalism (BSJ).
Since 2015, she has been working for Meydan TV. She hosted the programme MeyArt on the same platform in 2022.
Throughout her career, Ahmadova has faced repeated state-led harassment and detentions. Early in her career, she was interrogated multiple times by the Department for Combating Organised Crime as part of a criminal case against Meydan TV. In 2015, after her computer was seized by authorities, personal photographs and video recordings were published online on various fake Facebook accounts, accompanied by insulting and threatening captions. She filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which ultimately found a violation of her right to respect for private and family life and ordered the government to pay her compensation. She also participated actively in feminist rallies and was detained by police during a 8 March protest in 2021.1
Case description
Aytaj Ahmadova was detained on 6 December 2024 in Baku, along with several other journalists from Meydan TV.2
On 8 December 2024, the Khatai District Court remanded her to four months of pre-trial detention. She was initially charged under Criminal Code Article 206.3.2 for allegedly smuggling foreign currency committed by a group of individuals by prior conspiracy. She denied the charges, asserting that her arrest was related to her professional journalistic activities.
Her pre-trial detention was extended several times. On 28 August 2025, the charges were expanded to include seven additional crimes, such as illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, money laundering, and document forgery, among others. If convicted on all charges, the journalists face up to 12 years in prison.3
She is currently held at Baku Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1. Since her arrest, she has reportedly been subjected to psychological pressure and violations of her fundamental rights. While in pre-trial detention, Ahmadova has been repeatedly denied the right to marry her fiancé, animal rights activist Kamran Mammadli. In January 2025, the detention centre administration rejected her marriage appeal. This rejection was upheld by both the Khatai District Court and the Baku Court of Appeal.4
Detained female journalists in Baku Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 describe unsanitary conditions, including the presence of mice and rats, and a lack of proper provisions. Women journalists are reportedly being denied access to basic hygiene products, essential medications, and adequate medical care, and have been subjected to verbal abuse and psychological mistreatment.5
References
- https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre?i=001-242199
- https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Abzas-Media-report.pdf
- https://fom.coe.int/en/alerte/detail/107641904
- https://www.ipd-az.org/in-azerbaijan-the-convicted-dissenter-is-forbidden-to-get-married/
- https://abzas.org/en/2025/7/nine-international-organisatio6774748a-6/
Resources about Aytaj Ahmadova
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