Azerbaijan replaces entire judicial panel in Meydan TV trial

An Azerbaijani court has replaced all three judges overseeing the landmark trial of 12 independent journalists and activists linked to the media outlet Meydan TV.

The decision to swap the entire panel at the Baku Grave Crimes Court has prompted warnings from defence lawyers that the proceedings, which began in December 2025, may now have to start from scratch.

Zaur Hajiyev has been appointed as the new presiding judge, alongside Azer Taghiyev and Roman Alakbarli.

The previous presiding judge, Ayten Aliyeva, was promoted to the Baku Court of Appeal on 26 May. However, the subsequent replacement of the remaining two judges has raised legal concerns.

Nemat Karimli, a lawyer representing journalist Ramin Jabrayilzade, said that Azerbaijani legislation does not provide for the simultaneous replacement of all three judges.

"In this situation, the trial will have to begin again," Karimli said.

Rovshana Rahimli, representing journalist Aysel Umudova, agreed that a restart was highly likely but said the defence would fight the move.

"We will oppose restarting the trial and demand that the new judges familiarise themselves with the existing court records instead," Rahimli said.

The trial has been plagued by delays since the last substantive hearing on 13 April.

During a hearing on 22 May, judges repeatedly interrupted detained journalist Khayala Aghayeva after she mentioned Heydar Aliyev, the son of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in her testimony.

The judicial panel then abruptly stormed out of the courtroom. A subsequent hearing scheduled for 5 June was later postponed to an unspecified date.

The case against Meydan TV began in December 2024 with the arrest of several staff members, including the outlet's Azerbaijan bureau chief, Aynur Elgunes.

More independent journalists and media workers were detained over the following months, including editor Shamshad Aghayev, reporter Nurlan Libre, and photographer Ahmed Mukhtar.

The defendants were initially charged with smuggling by prior agreement, but prosecutors upgraded the charges in August 2025 to encompass seven different criminal counts.

All 12 defendants deny the allegations. They maintain that the prosecution is a politically motivated effort to silence the country's remaining independent media.