Police raided the office of independent media outlet Toplum TV and arrested its journalists on accusations of smuggling. About half were released several hours later, but the remaining journalists remain in custody. Police subsequently searched an office of a political organization established in December by a group of local democracy activists. Akif Gurbanov, who heads the organization’s board, was arrested on the same smuggling charges and also remains in custody, police say. The newsroom was sealed, its Instagram account was taken down, and its YouTube channel was renamed.
Source: Written by Fatima Karimova and Kelly Bloss, 2024-03-08; https://www.occrp.org/en/daily//en/daily/18539-azerbaijani-police-raid-toplum-tv-and-democracy-group-detaining-7