Two Azerbaijani journalists were arrested in Baku on February 5, as part of a campaign of attacks on independent media outlets that began in November 2023. Azerbaijan, a sort of petro-monarchy with a population of 9 million people, has been ruled since 2003 by Ilham Aliyev, who was handed power by his father, a former high-ranking KGB officer. After being targeted by several journalistic investigations documenting his nepotism, Aliyev has set out to establish total control over his country's media landscape.

Early in the morning on February 5, a uniformed police officer and several men wearing black masks arrived at the home of freelance journalist Shamshad Aghayev, editor-in-chief of the media outlet Argument. According to his brother, Shahid Aghayev, the journalist was arrested and his home was subsequently searched. Human rights lawyer Shahla Humbatova said Agayev, her client, had been accused of smuggling.

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