The already constricted space for free expression in Azerbaijan contracted further on the night of May 7 with the detention of journalist Ulviyya Guliyeva, better known by her pen-name Ulviyya Ali. Officers from Baku's Main Police Department took Ali into custody, a source close to the journalist told bne IntelliNews’ Azerbaijan correspondent. 

Also on the night of May 7, Ahmad Mammadli, an activist and the founder of the Democracy-18 movement, was reportedly abducted by the police and physically assaulted. Their arrests represent yet more independent voices targeted in an escalating crackdown.

The arrest of Ali, a journalist with a history of contribution to the Voice of America, was accompanied by a search of her apartment, which, according to her friend, feminist activist Gulnara Mehdiyeva, was left in "complete disarray". Mehdiyeva described a scene of intrusive violation: "The piano was broken. Some drawers and shelves in the wardrobe were also damaged. All the books had been pulled from the bookshelf and scattered across the floor,” she said. 

During the search, police confiscated Ali’s laptop and reportedly found over AZN6,000 (approximately $3,530). The discovery of this sum of money became a central element in the charges against Ali, like other fellow journalists being accused of smuggling foreign currency. 

However, the discrepancy between this official claim and Ali’s known living situation was immediately highlighted by her mother, Ilhama Guliyeva, who questioned, "if she has such an amount, why does she live in a rented house?"

Previously subjected to a travel ban in January 2025 following an interrogation related to the Meydan TV case, Ali had actively sought legal remedy by appealing this restriction. "If you are reading this, I have been unlawfully imprisoned for my journalistic work," Ali said in a letter earlier sent privately to bne IntelliNews Azerbaijan reporter Cavid Aga, anticipating the authorities' actions after the travel ban.

She denied any ties to Meydan TV and said that even if such cooperation existed, it would not constitute a crime. "Journalism is not a crime. Our only crime is our conviction," she said. Ali believes that she has been slandered and unlawfully imprisoned for her professional activities. "Like my fellow journalists, I have committed no crime — I have not brought so-called ‘illegal funds’ into the country, nor engaged in any other wrongdoing," she wrote. "More than 20 journalists are behind bars, and now I am one of them," she said, blaming the government’s intolerance toward independent media. An Azerbaijani version of the letter was shared on social media after her detention.

Grave concerns have been raised regarding Ali's treatment during and immediately after her arrest. Gulnara Mehdiyeva reported that Ali was "subjected to violence during the arrest". More specific and alarming are the allegations made by Ilhama Guliyeva, who stated that her daughter has an adenoma on her head and a police officer hit her on the head. Furthermore, Ali's mother reported that police initially barred her from meeting her daughter, only permitting her to pass on meals and water. Independent journalist Fargana Novruzova, who saw Ali before her court appearance, quoted her as saying, "Media was handcuffed in Azerbaijan”, as she pointed to her own handcuffed hands.

Ali has been formally accused of smuggling under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, which pertains to "smuggling committed by a group with prior collusion". This is the same charge that has been widely used against journalists associated with the Meydan TV case. Following the charges, she was placed in pre-trial detention for a period of one month and 29 days.  

Ali has categorically denied these charges, asserting that they are politically motivated. Compounding the concerns about the legitimacy of the proceedings, her relatives reported that her remand hearing, which determined her pre-trial detention, took place without her lawyer present. 

Ali is the 11th journalist to be detained in connection with the sprawling Meydan TV investigation. However, both Ali, in her pre-arrest letter, and Meydan TV, through its representative Orkhan Mammad, have firmly denied that she ever worked for or had any business ties with the media outlet. "We believe that the arrest of Ulviyya Ali, like other imprisoned journalists, is aimed at suppressing freedom of speech. [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev does not want independent journalists in the country," Mammad said in an interview with OC Media.

Ali’s arrest took place on the same night as Ahmad Mammadli was also detained. According to state-aligned APA News, Mammadli allegedly stabbed a local resident, Vugar Dunyamaliev, during a dispute over a taxi seat in the Bilajari settlement on May 6 at around 22:00. He has been formally accused of assault. 

His wife, Turkan Mammadli, rejected the official version of events, telling JAMnews that her husband was beaten during the arrest and that the charges are fabricated. “He informed me through his lawyer that he was subjected to police violence,” she said.

Kamran Mammadli, an animal rights activist with no relation to Ahmad Mammadli, said he lost contact with the journalist for several hours same night. "Mammadli and I left the 28 May metro station around 21:50. We estimated he would be home within an hour or an hour and a half at most. Three hours passed with no news. While his phone was previously unreachable, it has since started ringing, but he’s not answering. We believe he’s been detained," Kamran Mammadli wrote on social media. He later updated his post, stating that Ahmad Mammadli had been violently detained and beaten by police.

Turkan Mammadli confirmed the same to OC Media, alleging her husband was severely assaulted while in custody. "His court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning. His condition is very bad, his face is bruised, and he was tortured with electric shocks. The police demanded the password to his phone, and when he refused, they used electroshock torture," she said.

Mammadli is known as the founder of left-wing Yoldash Media and has contributed to several outlets as a freelance journalist. 

Both Ali and Ahmad Mammadli were detained on the same day they attended a court hearing in the case of jailed opposition politician Tofig Yagublu. 

Like Ali, in January 2024, Ahmad Mammadli was informed of a travel ban imposed against him. He was summoned to the General Directorate for Combating Corruption under the Prosecutor General’s Office, where officials notified him that a criminal case had been launched on allegations of attempted evasion of military service.

The latest crackdown on media in Azerbaijan, which significantly intensified in November 2023, has seen authorities systematically target independent news outlets and journalists. A prominent early target was Abzas Media, an investigative outlet whose offices were raided in November 2023, leading to the detention of seven of its journalists. This was followed by raids on the offices of Toplum TV and the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) in March 2024, resulting in the arrests of three journalists and three IDI members. 

The Meydan TV case began in December 2024 with the detention of six of its journalists on smuggling charges, accusations the outlet vehemently denies, asserting they are being punished for critical reporting. This case expanded to include other journalists, such as Shamshad Aghayev, Nurlan Libre and Fatima Movlamli, in early 2025. Across these cases, a common charge of "smuggling" has been used against journalists from Abzas Media, Toplum TV and Meydan TV. 

This wave of repression has led to the imprisonment of numerous journalists, with reports in early 2025 indicating between 18 and 30 journalists and civil society activists incarcerated on similar charges.