The arrest of two journalists in Azerbaijan on May 6 and 7 has cast a pall over its 10 million inhabitants. According to those close to Ulviyya Ali and Ahmad Mammadli, the arrests were accompanied by violence and threats of rape. These arrests bring the total number of journalists imprisoned in the former Soviet republic since the end of 2023 to at least 25.

Following the repression that forced opposition media outlets Toplum TV and Abzas Media into exile, as well as the shutdown of the Turan news agency, journalists Ali and Mammadli had become the last independent sources of information in the country. Most often, it was through Ali's posts on social media that one learned of the detention of Azerbaijani journalists or opponents.

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