Dilruba Amanova, the mother of currently imprisoned Meydan TV journalist Aytaj Tapdig (Ahmadova), has been banned from leaving Azerbaijan.
Dilruba Amanova herself informed Meydan TV about this. She had planned to travel abroad to visit her other daughter, who lives abroad, but was stopped at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
According to Dilruba Amanova, the first incident occurred on April 30. Although she was scheduled to fly to Berlin at 7:30 a.m. and had completed all preliminary procedures, she encountered problems during passport control:
“While the customs officer was checking my passport, he received a phone call. I heard him reply to someone on the phone, saying, ‘I haven’t let her through.’ Then they informed me that a ‘stop’ had been placed on my departure from the country. When I asked for the reason, they told me it had been imposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but that they did not know the details.”
After the incident, Dilruba Amanova investigated the matter through her lawyer and was informed that the restriction had been imposed by the Baku City Main Police Department. A few days later, her lawyer told her that the ban had been removed from the system. Based on this, Amanova purchased another ticket to Berlin for May 12.
However, the same scenario was repeated at the airport. Late at night, when she approached border control again, she encountered the same officer who had checked her documents on April 30. As soon as she handed over her passport, the officer received another phone call, after which she was once again informed that she would not be allowed to leave the country.
Dilruba Amanova emphasized that she has no debts to any bank or state institution and considers the restriction unlawful. She links the travel ban to her daughter’s journalistic work and current imprisonment.
Inquiries sent to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Baku City Main Police Department regarding the matter have gone unanswered. We are prepared to publish their response should they provide one.
Aytaj Tapdig was detained on December 6, 2024. She and other journalists detained in the “Meydan TV case” have been charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons acting in prior collusion).
The detained journalists reject the charges and believe they were arrested on political orders, arguing that the aim is to silence independent media and free voices in the country.
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