The deterioration of the condition of the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV has alarmed her relatives.

The condition of the arrested Ajnur Elgyunesh in Baku has significantly worsened against the backdrop of serious illnesses and requires urgent intervention from specialists, but her transfer to the hospital is being delayed, relatives said.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in July, after the change of judges in the Baku Serious Crimes Court, the process in the Meydan TV case resumed. The defense petitioned for a milder measure of restraint, drawing attention to the health condition of the accused. In particular, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova informed the court that the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV Ajnur Elgyunesh has serious health problems, she is disabled and has undergone 17 surgeries. However, the court did not satisfy the petitions.

Detentions at Meydan TV have become a new wave of repression against journalists

The case against Meydan TV was initiated in December 2024, when six journalists were detained and then arrested on charges of currency smuggling. They linked the criminal case to their professional activities. By August 2025, 11 people had been arrested in the Meydan TV case 1 . At the end of August, it became known that the investigation was completed, and a 12th suspect appeared in the case - photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar. At the same time, the arrested journalists were charged with new accusations under seven more criminal articles 2 . On December 12, 2025, at the first hearing in the Meydan TV case, the court refused to close the criminal case and release the accused.

The condition of the editor-in-chief of Meydan TV Ajnur Elgyunesh is close to critical, but the decision to transfer her to a medical facility is being delayed, the journalist's relatives reported.

The diagnosis has been unchanged: the kidney is on the verge of failure, urgent intervention is required

"The ultrasound specialist examined her three times, and each time the diagnosis was unchanged: the kidney is on the verge of failure, urgent intervention is required. The reason for the delay in transferring her to the hospital is cited as the need for "one more examination by a doctor." If the diagnosis has been made three times, why conduct another examination?!" - quoted a relative of the Meydan TV journalist on their website on October 16.

According to relatives, on October 14, the condition of Elgyunesh, who is being held in the Baku pre-trial detention center, significantly worsened.

"Blood pressure rose to 150/80, the skin took on a pale hue. There was a feeling of tightness in the diaphragm area, making it difficult to breathe. She took medication to lower her blood pressure, after which it dropped below normal - to 80/50. Ajnur suffers from a kidney disease that causes instability in blood pressure," - said one of the relatives of the arrested.

Since there is no doctor in the Baku pre-trial detention center capable of prescribing treatment based on a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to transfer her to a specialized medical institution to receive medical assistance, relatives believe.

We do not understand what they are waiting for

"Every day of delay works against her, there is a risk of irreversible complications. Just by her appearance, one can judge that the processes occurring inside her body have reached a critical stage. She has lost a lot of weight, her eyes have sunk, her skin has become painfully pale, and she is often tormented by pain. This concerns serious health problems, and their severity cannot be ignored. We do not understand what they are waiting for. We, the relatives of Ajnur Elgyunesh, are sounding the alarm about her health condition," - the publication quotes the words of the journalist's relatives.

It should be noted that journalist Ulviya Ali (Guliyeva), also arrested in the Meydan TV case 3 , stated in April that she has been deprived of quality medical care in the Baku pre-trial detention center No. 1 for over a year. In particular, according to her, there has been no ultrasound specialist and no equipment for MRI and CT scans in the medical unit of the detention center since the summer of 2025. She noted that only "once every three to four months, an ultrasound doctor from the main medical department of the Ministry of Justice comes and examines the needy prisoners."

The arrested in the Meydan TV case have been persecuted on the orders of the Azerbaijani leadership for their journalistic activities, one of the accused, Shamshad Aga, previously pointed out. "You have neither the authority nor the courage to make arbitrary decisions in any process controlled by [the country's president] Ilham Aliyev. In these processes, both the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge are Ilham Aliyev," - he stated in court.

Serial arrests of journalists in Azerbaijan

Journalists from other media outlets, including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also faced persecution in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 7.5 years to 9 years. In court, they rejected the charges, emphasizing that they are being persecuted for their professional activities and investigations into corruption cases.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached a peak in 2024, the highest in 23 years of the country's membership in the Council of Europe, according to a report by the "Caucasian Knot" "Main points about the record number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan". At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.

1. Source of information - PhD Anna Naumova, whose explanations were published on the website of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation FGBNU "Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after Acad. B.V. Petrovsky".