Meydan TV and Abzas Media nominated for the 2026 Pioneer of Free Media award

Azerbaijani independent publications Abzas Media and Meydan TV, whose employees were subjected to criminal prosecution, have been shortlisted for the 2026 Pioneer of Free Media international award, presented by the International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS).

Azerbaijani online publications, Meydan TV and Abzas Media, operating from abroad, have been shortlisted for the 2026 Pioneer of Free Media Award, awarded by the International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS).

All 11 media outlets on the shortlist “are implementing new approaches to ensure the free dissemination of news and information and demonstrating the resilience of independent media in an increasingly challenging press freedom environment,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

Abzas Media, founded in 2016, is known for its bold investigative reporting that exposes high-level corruption, provides a platform for the voices of marginalized communities, and holds those in power accountable, according to a press release published on the IPI website.

“Abzas Media’s commitment to accountability journalism has made the publication a target of persecution by the authoritarian Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan. Following a series of arrests in the fall of 2023, six Abzas Media journalists and one Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist implicated in a case related to Abzas Media were sentenced in June 2025 to prison terms ranging from seven and a half to nine years. Despite attempts to silence them, Abzas Media journalists continue their important work in exile—and some even from prison—finding new ways to circumvent government attempts to block Abzas Media’s website and maintain contact with their audience,” the award organizers said in a statement.

Acting Director and Editor-in-Chief of Abzas Media, Gunel Safarova, noted that the nomination for the award means a lot to the publication amid the criminal prosecution of its employees. editorial staff.

“For Abzas Media, being considered for this award is of utmost importance. Due to its investigations exposing corruption among government officials, Abzas Media became the first target of the wave of repression that began in November 2023 and targeted critical voices and independent media in the country. Seven journalists in this case, including six Abzas Media employees, remain in prison. The sole reason for their imprisonment is that they honestly carried out their professional work – exposing lawlessness, injustice, and the system of corruption in the country,” noted Safarova.

She emphasized that Abzas Media continues its investigations. “For us, this recognition is not only a high assessment of our professional work. This is also an important sign of support, showing that our colleagues, unjustly sentenced to long-term imprisonment, are not forgotten, that their courage is noticed, and that the fight for the truth continues even behind prison walls,” Safarova said.

Founded in 2013 by a dissident blogger, Meydan TV is known for its citizen journalism and coverage of corruption and human rights violations in Azerbaijan, according to a joint statement by IPI and IMS.

“Between December 2024 and May 2025, 11 journalists and one journalism professor were arrested in connection with Meydan TV amid a new wave of crackdowns targeting civil society. The journalists "They are being tried as a group and charged with a variety of financial crimes, from money laundering to tax evasion. If found guilty, they could face more than ten years in prison," the publications say.

Even from prison cells and in courtrooms, Meydan TV journalists remain active defenders of free speech and a free press in Azerbaijan. The media outlet continues its work in exile and remains a rare example of independent journalism in Azerbaijan's increasingly repressive media environment, the award organizers emphasized.

"For us at Meydan TV, being considered for this award is not just recognition of our professional work, but also an important source of moral support during a very difficult time. For our imprisoned colleagues, this award is a source of hope, joy, and resilience; it is recognition of their fight for free speech, journalism, and truth in Azerbaijan. Despite the difficulties, pressures, and restrictions we face, the very fact that we are being considered for this award shows that our work is not going unnoticed and that the international community supports us in our fight to preserve access to reliable information in Azerbaijan,” said Meydan TV editor-in-chief Orkhan Mammad.

In addition to Meydan TV and AbzasMedia, the shortlisted nominees also included the Association of the Alliance of Journalists of Cambodia, the investigative project Forbidden Stories from France, the Investigative Journalism Foundation from Nigeria, the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism from Costa Rica, Netra News (Sweden/Bangladesh), Oxpeckers: Investigative Environmental Journalism from South Africa, Radio Dabanga from Sudan, the Syrian Center for Investigative Reporting for Accountability and Journalism (SIRAJ), and Zan Times. Afghanistan.

The winners of the 2026 Pioneer of Free Media Awards will be announced in the coming weeks. The awards will be presented at a special event during the Gabo Festival on July 24–26 in Bogotá, Colombia.