Vugar Gonagov (executive director of Khayal TV) and Zaur Guliyev (editor-in-chief of Khayal TV), currently being held in the Department Against Organized Crime, were not allowed to meet with their lawyer Elchin Sadigov,who personally reported to IRFS.

The Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety is concerned about the mysterious arrest of three media representatives from Khayal TV and demands a full explanation of the reasons behind the arrests and information on their current whereabouts.

On March 17, imprisoned editor-in-chief of Xural newspaper Avaz Zeynalli met his family and the Xural representative Nizami Hasanli in prison, reports xural.com.

Vahid Ibrahimov a video editor at the Guba based Xayal TV station has been set free, according to a source who asked not to be named.

On March 13th Vugar Gonagov (executive director of Khayal TV), Zaur Guliyev (editor-in-chief of Khayal TV), Zaur Mustafayev (Khayal’s advertising editor) and Jamil Mammadli (Poligon Information Agency correspondent) were detained in relation to the Guba protests and brought to Baku, reported Turan News Agency.

On March 16th, journalists and civil society representatives held a meeting to discuss the smear campaign against Khadija Ismayilova (Radio Liberty correspondent) at IRFS press center.

Media Rights Institute and the Baku Office of the OSCE held a roundtable to discuss the topic of Court Proceedings against Media on March 16th.  The roundtable focused on the delay of the decriminalization of defamation.

On March 16th 14:00 the IRFS media center will host a meeting of civil society to discuss the smear campaign against Radio Liberty correspondent Khadija Ismayilova.

According to reporting by Radio Liberty, Vugar Gonagov, the executive director of the Guba-based Xəyal TV, and the station’s editor-in-chief Zaur Guliyev were arrested on March 14th.

Today the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety presented a new project, the Youth Media Center (YMC)