Baku court erects new fence and prohibits journalists from photographing defendants

A new metal fence has been erected around Baku’s Khatai District Court blocking the ability of journalists to photograph defendants. A police cordon has also been established, with journalists reportedly refused entry into the court.

Journalist Ulviyya Ali first shared a photo of the new court fence on her social media on Tuesday, comparing it to the much more see-through barrier previously erected.

She attended court that day in order to cover the ongoing hearings related to Azerbaijan’s media crackdown — since November 2023, around 30 journalists and public activists have been arrested in Azerbaijan on charges of smuggling.

‘To prevent photos and videos of the journalists [on trial] from being taken, a police cordon was established in front of the court, keeping a considerable distance between us and them’, Ali wrote.

The first cases held in Khatai District Court related to the ongoing media crackdown involved the independent media outlet Abzas Media. Following the raid of their offices in November 2023, six employees were detained on charges of smuggling by criminal means in the form of an organised gang.

Following their case, Anar Mammadli, the chair of the Centre for Monitoring Elections and Studying Democracy, and Imran Aliyev, who were both arrested as part of the Meclis.Info case, had their trials held in the Khatai District Court.

Likewise, the court has heard the cases of Toplum TV journalists, Meydan TV journalists, and Third Republic Platform members, almost all of whom have been accused of smuggling.

During every court appearance, family members, activists, and other media employees have gathered near the court building in order to see those detained. Often, these interactions are one of the ways those detained can say something to the public, due to bias in state media coverage.

The fence is just the latest in a series of obstructions to journalists attempting to cover the ongoing trials. Previous methods have included bringing those detained to court outside of the scheduled times, forming a police cordon around the building, and blocking the entrance to the court.

Azerbaijan authorities previously used fences to block oil extraction areas from being seen by attendees of COP29, which Baku hosted in November 2024.

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OC MediaAytan Farhadova