Elsever Muradzade

Affiliated media: Freelance journalist

Incident date: June 22, 2023

Attack type:

• Short-term detention

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Turan.az

Location: Azerbaijan, Soyudlu

Additional information:

On June 22, three independent journalists in Azerbaijan were expelled from the village of Soyudlu in the Gadabay region, where they were preparing a report on the dissatisfaction of residents with the environmental impact of a nearby gold mine. In particular, freelance journalist Elsever Muradzade, an employee of the online publication AbzasMedia Nargiz Absalamova and a reporter collaborating with the Azerbaijani service of the Voice of America, reporter Nigar Mubariz, were subjected to police pressure. As Muradzade said, at first in the morning, the police did not let them into the village. They were detained when they could get to Soyudla by alternative routes. “Nargiz and Nigar's phones were taken away, and they were subjected to physical pressure. The police official said that only media with "permission" could shoot. The police put us in a car and drove us out of the area,” Muradzadeh said.