Farid Mehralizade is a researcher and author of several research papers on economic, social, and environmental issues in Azerbaijan.  

Unidentified individuals abducted Mehralizade and placed a bag over his head as he was on his way to work on the morning of May 30, 2024. Later that day, Mehralizade was found at the Main Police Department of Baku. The police later escorted him back home to conduct a search of his residence. During the search, authorities did not allow the family to have a lawyer present and they seized devices belonging to Mehralizade and his wife. Authorities denied Mehralizade access to a lawyer until the end of the day claiming he was not detained but invited to the Main Baku Police Department as a witness.

On June 1, 2024, the Khatai District Court placed Mehralizade under pre-trial detention for three months and twenty days under charges of conspiring to smuggle foreign currency (Criminal Code Article 206.3.2) in connection to the Abzas Media case. Mehralizade denies the charges.  

On July 3, 2024, the Khatai District Court denied the motion to release Mehralizade under house arrest and left him under pre-trial detention.

On August 16, 2024, authorities amended the indictment and brought new charges against Mehralizade to include illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, and document forgery.