Farid Ismayilov

Age: 26

Occupation: Toplum TV journalist

Arrested: January 17, 2025.

Charges:

  • Conspiring to smuggle foreign currency

  • Hiring workers without a labor contract

  • Illegal entrepreneurship with significant income

  • Large-scale money laundering by an organized group

  • Tax evasion by an organized group

Status: Detained in Pre-trial Detention Center N1

Farid Ismayilov is a journalist who worked for Toplum TV since 2022. His career in media began at Pressklub and Kanal 13, leading him to his current position at Toplum TV.

Prior to his arrest, Ismayilov had been under police supervision since March 8, 2024, facing unsubstantiated smuggling charges alongside eight other colleagues from Toplum TV. Despite warnings from authorities to stop his journalistic work, Ismayilov continued his reporting, leading to the revocation of his police supervision and his subsequent arrest on January 17, 2025 at his home.

On January 17, 2025, the Khatai District Court remanded Ismayilov to two months and twenty days of pre-trial detention.

According to reports, Ismayilov has serious health problems - in 2023, he underwent lung surgery three times.