RFE/RL Journalist In Azerbaijan Sentenced To 9 Years

Farid Mehralizada, an economist and journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who has been in state custody for more than a year, was sentenced to 9 years on June 20 in Azerbaijan. He was detained in May 2024 after he publicly debunked state propaganda. Azerbaijan officials charged him with smuggling, tax evasion, and forgery, accusations civil rights organizations have called politically motivated and without merit. As a journalist for RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Azadliq Radiosu, Mehralizada built a reputation for probing analytical work.