A Baku court rejected a petition to change the pretrial detention measure against the arrested founder of Toplum TV, Alesker Mammadli, despite his need for surgery.

Mammadli, insisting that he could not influence witnesses, requested a transfer from pretrial detention to house arrest. However, the prosecutor's office objected.

Along with Alesker Mammadli, several other individuals are facing up to 12 years in prison in the Toplum TV case. Initially accused of currency smuggling, they were later charged with six additional criminal offenses.

In addition to Toplum TV, other independent media outlets, such as Abzas Media, Meydan TV, and Kanal-13, are also being persecuted in Azerbaijan. On June 20, Abzas Media journalists were sentenced to 7.5 to 9 years in prison. They believe their persecution is retaliation for their anti-corruption investigations.

Earlier, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release the arrested journalists.