Azerbaijan’s media landscape, already under severe strain, has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in February 2025, with two major blows reflecting the government’s tightening grip. 

The suspension of BBC News Azerbaijan’s operations and the financial collapse of Turan Information Agency — within days of each other — signal an accelerating erosion of independent journalism.

On February 20, the BBC reported that Azerbaijan ordered BBC News Azerbaijan to stop producing content from Baku, a directive issued late in 2024 and enforced this month. The service, operational since 1992 with eight local staff, has halted journalistic work while seeking clarification. 

This action builds on a 2011 ban on its FM radio broadcasts, part of a 2009 crackdown on foreign broadcasters like RFE/RL. The latest suspension stems from 2024 order capping foreign media ownership and requiring registration. 

The foreign ministry doubled down same day, claiming compliance with national rules, though critics see it as another nail in the coffin of free press. It noted one BBC journalist can remain accredited — matching Azerbaijan’s UK staffing — and framed the move as standard practice, though critics see it as part of a decades-long effort to mute external voices.

Previously, on February 14, Turan Information Agency, one of the oldest Azerbaijani news outlets, announced that it suspended operations under crippling financial strain. Frozen accounts, mounting debts and state fines proved insurmountable. 

These events highlight a bleak truth: independent journalism in Azerbaijan is teetering on the edge. 

"Despite our efforts to secure resources, longstanding financial struggles have forced us to cease operations in the current format," said Turan’s director, Mehman Aliyev. He hinted at a relaunch but gave no timeframe.

The 2022 Media Law, signed by President Ilham Aliyev in February of that year, has been pivotal in this clampdown. It requires all media and journalists to register through a central Media Register, a barrier that has excluded most independent players — fewer than 10% gained approval. Outlets like Abzas Media, denied registration, have been shuttered by courts, with appeals brushed aside. Its vague clauses punish “objectivity” lapses or security threats, while criminal defamation laws, with penalties of up to three years’ in prison for breaches, silence reporters. Slurs on the president’s “honour and dignity” can yield five-year terms when tied to other charges, driving self-censorship or collapse.

Since November 2023, over 20 media workers have been locked up on what rights groups deem bogus charges. Abzas Media’s director Ulvi Hasanli and editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi were nabbed in late 2023, reportedly beaten and charged with smuggling after uncovering corruption linked to Aliyev’s circle. Kanal 13’s Aziz Orujov and others have met similar fates, often with violence—Hasanli alleged torture, while protest reporters like Nargiz Absalamova faced assaults. 

Azerbaijan now ranks 151st in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, a slight rise only due to worse falls in other countries. On February 6, authorities detained two more journalists — Shamshad Agha of Arqument.az and Shahnaz Baylargizi of Toplum TV — on smuggling and financial crime charges that rights activists say are politically motivated. Following Baylargizi’s arrest, Toplum TV announced it would cease operations inside Azerbaijan and continue in exile. 

"Baylargizi’s arrest shows how authorities are using allegations of Western funding to silence independent voices," said Gulnoza Said, Europe and Central Asia programme coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists. "She has serious health issues, and every day in detention endangers her life. Azerbaijani authorities must release her and all other jailed journalists."

Azerbaijani authorities previously also detained and questioned bne IntelliNews reporter Cavid Aga on August 27, subsequently imposing a travel ban on the journalist. Aga, who was en route to Lithuania, was held for 12 hours by the State Security Service as a witness in the Bahruz Samadov case. The travel ban was lifted months later, on January 15.

Towards the end of the day on February 20, another journalist, Nurlan Qahramanli of Libre, was reportedly detained by police in Baku in connection with the MeydanTV case. According to his relatives, a search was carried out at his home in Sumqayit. The information was confirmed to APA Agency by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

Qahramanli has been detained multiple times in the past, sentenced to administrative detention, and has reported being subjected to pressure. On September 13, 2023, he was summoned to the State Security Service (DTX) and later stated that he had been threatened over his anti-war posts according to VOA Azerbaijan. The DTX did not respond to a request for comment from Voice of America regarding the allegation.

On September 21, 2023, he was sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention under Article 388-1.1.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which pertains to the dissemination of prohibited information on online platforms and the failure to prevent such dissemination.