Shamo Eminov is a freelance journalist and contributor to Kanal 13. 

On December 22, 2023, the Sabail District Police Department arrested Shamo Eminov on his way to an interview. Law enforcement authorities also searched his house and seized a laptop allegedly without informing his wife, who was not at home at the time. For five days, the family did not know Eminov’s whereabouts. On December 26, 2023, Eminov called his wife and told her he was accused of smuggling currency. The court remanded him to three months and five days of pre-trial detention. 

During the interrogation, Eminov was subjected to alleged pressure and threats. He did not have access to a lawyer. The investigator accused him of traveling to Georgia to smuggle the money into Azerbaijan. Eminov is a native of Georgia, and his elderly parents live in Georgia. Due to quarantine restrictions, after a long time apart, Eminov traveled to Georgia in the summer of 2023.

Eminov’s physical and mental health has deteriorated while in detention. His chronic liver and gastrointestinal conditions have worsened. His wife claims that he bled from his mouth in March 2024 for unclear reasons, but he is not being medically evaluated or treated in the pre-trial detention center. Because of the dire prison conditions and harassment, Eminov rubbed his hands with a piece of glass. He was placed in the isolation ward's infirmary.  

Eminov's pre-trial detention was extended until June 27, 2024, and later extended for another three months, until the end of September.