Politics
Committee to Protect Journalists expresses concern over threats against Farid Ismayilov
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed concern over death threats made against Farid Ismayilov, a detained employee of Toplum TV.
The arrests related to the “Toplum TV case” began in March 2024.
Journalist Farid Ismayilov was among the many journalists detained during a police raid on Toplum TV’s office on March 6, 2024, but he was released two days later. However, he was arrested again on January 17, 2025.
A total of 10 people have been charged in this case.
They were initially accused of smuggling, but the charges were later escalated.
This was reported on the X page of CPJ’s Europe and Asia division.
In its statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Azerbaijani government to ensure Farid Ismayilov’s safety and to release more than 25 journalists who have been “unjustly imprisoned,” including him.
During a hearing at the Baku Serious Crimes Court on September 29, Farid Ismayilov stated that an inmate in a neighboring cell at the Baku Pretrial Detention Center had threatened to kill him.
His relatives confirmed this to Meydan TV, stating that Farid is being threatened by another inmate:
“Farid says the inmate in the cell next to his threatened to kill him. On September 23, when prison staff were escorting Farid to the medical unit, another inmate threw a cup at him. The staff stepped in front of him and prevented it from hitting him. Although Farid repeatedly asked for the incident to be recorded, no official report was made. He later met with his lawyer and requested that the inmate who threw the cup be transferred to another room. But no action was taken,” said his relatives.
They also reported that a similar incident happened the next day. This time, an inmate attempted to throw hot water at him. The incident was prevented by guards, but no permanent solution has been put in place.
On September 25, the same inmate became even more aggressive after failing to harm Farid and self-harmed using a sharp object. During the incident, he verbally abused Farid and threatened to harm him again.
In court, Farid Ismayilov said that as long as the issue remains unresolved, he believes these threats are intentional and orchestrated provocations.
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Politics
Normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia: Pashinyan praises Aliyev, meeting held in Yerevan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that he welcomes the statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on lifting restrictions on the transit of goods from Azerbaijan to Armenia.
According to Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan made this statement during the 5th “Silk Road” forum held in Tbilisi.
“This is a very important statement, and I want to appreciate and welcome the Azerbaijani president’s step. An event that seemed incredible a few months ago is now happening: grain from Kazakhstan is being imported to Armenia via Azerbaijan and Georgia.”
President Ilham Aliyev stated on October 21 that Azerbaijan has lifted all existing restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia. The first transit shipment, a batch of Kazakh wheat, will be delivered to Armenia.
Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that politically, they are ready to ensure transit from Nakhchivan to the main part of Azerbaijan and vice versa via Armenia, but due to technical reasons, this is not possible because the infrastructure is lacking.
“From today, we are ready to facilitate the transit of trucks from Turkey to Azerbaijan through Armenian territory and vice versa,” Pashinyan added.
The normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, at a joint press conference in Baku with Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahna, stated that there is progress in the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He highlighted the significance of the joint initiative regarding the initialing of the peace agreement in Washington and the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group:
“Since August 8, we have observed positive outcomes from this process. As the President noted in Washington, peace has already become a reality for us. Recent events confirm this. The Minsk Group is expected to be fully dissolved by December 1.”
The minister also noted that the second line of the Middle Corridor could turn Armenia into a transit country.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988.
In September 2020, after a long-term ceasefire, a 44-day Second Karabakh War took place between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan regained control over part of Karabakh and seven surrounding districts.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted a local military operation in Karabakh.
On October 15, President Ilham Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in Stepanakert and stated that Azerbaijan had fully restored its sovereignty, that the Karabakh issue was resolved, and that the conflict had ended.
On August 8 of this year, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialed a peace agreement in Washington.
Representatives of civil society from Azerbaijan and Armenia meet in Yerevan
On October 21, a plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) landed in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
Military expert Edalat Verdiyev shared this information on his Facebook account.
According to reports, the plane carried Azerbaijani experts traveling to Yerevan for a meeting with representatives of civil society from Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armenpress reported on October 21 that civil society representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan would hold a bilateral roundtable discussion in Yerevan on October 21–22. Citing the press service of the Center for Security Policy Studies, the agency stated that the discussion would focus on the agenda formed during the August 8 meeting in Washington, measures to strengthen mutual trust between the two societies, potential paths for stable economic cooperation in the South Caucasus, and the prospects for establishing direct and long-term connections between civil society representatives of both countries.
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Politics
Azerbaijan has lifted all existing restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia.
Azerbaijan has lifted all existing restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia.
This was stated by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in a joint press statement with the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in Astana.
According to him, the first such transit cargo was the transport of Kazakh grain to Armenia.
“I should also note that Azerbaijan has removed all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia that existed since the occupation, and the first such transit cargo was the transport of Kazakh grain to Armenia. I believe this is also a good indication that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is no longer just on paper, but also practical.”
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988.
In September 2020, after a long-term ceasefire, a 44-day Second Karabakh War took place between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan regained control over part of Karabakh and seven surrounding districts.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted a local military operation in Karabakh.
On October 15, President Ilham Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in Stepanakert and stated that Azerbaijan had fully restored its sovereignty, that the Karabakh issue was resolved, and that the conflict had ended.
On August 8 of this year, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialed a peace agreement in Washington.
The President also stated at the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council that a period of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia has already begun.
“Today, a new phase begins; I would even say a new era begins – a period of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The initialing of a peace agreement less than two years after the last military clashes demonstrates a sufficiently high level of political will by both countries.”
He also noted that the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deserves the highest recognition.
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Politics
Russia revokes citizenship of Azerbaijani diaspora leader Islam Huseynov
Islam Huseynov, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora and an advisor to the governor of Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, has been stripped of his Russian citizenship.
The official reason has not yet been announced, and Huseynov himself has declined to comment.
According to RBC sources, the decision was made on October 14 by the Ulyanovsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, based on a request from the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The 56-year-old Huseynov has lived in Ulyanovsk for 20 years and has led the Azerbaijani diaspora since 2005.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarded Huseynov the “Progress” Medal, while the Ulyanovsk regional government honored him with the “Friendship of Peoples” Medal.
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have remained tense over the past 10 months. The tension began after the December 25, 2024 crash of an AZAL aircraft in Kazakhstan, which killed 38 of the 67 passengers. Baku blamed Moscow for the incident, demanding an apology and compensation. Russia, however, urged patience until the investigation’s results were released.
In June 2025, the deaths of Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg, allegedly as a result of torture, along with injuries to others, were described by Baku as “ethnic pressure.” Pressure on Azerbaijani businessmen in Russia further escalated tensions.
In response, Azerbaijan shut down “Sputnik Azerbaijan”, suspended the operations of the “Russian House”, and arrested several Russian citizens.
On October 9, during a meeting in Dushanbe, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to President Ilham Aliyev over the crash and pledged to pay compensation. The next day, the head of “Sputnik Azerbaijan” was released from custody.
Huseynov had previously faced criminal charges in 2015, accused of large-scale fraud and money laundering related to the acquisition of a municipal land plot. Investigators alleged he purchased the land for 776,000 rubles, despite its market value being 6 million rubles, and began constructing a residential building instead of the promised hotel.
The court found him guilty of fraud but acquitted him on the money-laundering charge. He was sentenced to four years of probation and fined 1 million rubles. Huseynov pleaded not guilty.
There have been two assassination attempts against him: the first in 2009, when the attacker mistakenly injured a Ulyanovsk customs officer and his wife, and the second in 2012, during which Huseynov’s bodyguard was killed.
In 2022, Huseynov was appointed as an advisor to Governor Alexey Russkikh on a voluntary basis.
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