Seven people went on trial in Azerbaijan on Tuesday in the latest of a series of cases against staff of independent news media, prompting accusations of a crackdown on the press.

Azerbaijan intensifies its crackdown on independent media, targeting journalists and activists under contentious charges.

Accusations include physical abuse, including beating, an attempt to strangle one athlete, weight-shaming, verbal abuse, depriving athletes of speaking with their families, and withholding financial awards from athletes.

Russia’s president is said to have blamed birds or a Ukrainian drone for a Dec. 25 crash of an Azerbaijani plane. Azerbaijan says Russian air defenses were at fault.

A case of mpox has been found in Azerbaijan, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, adding that the patient had been isolated and was receiving treatment in hospital. Interfax quoted Azerbaijan's

Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, a prominent activist, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in January 2025 on bogus charges of hooliganism, illegal entrepreneurship, and smuggling charges. PACE rapporteurs had repeatedly called on Azerbaijani authorities to release him immediately.

A billionaire former banker and 15 other ex-officials in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region which Azerbaijan retook in 2023 went on trial on Friday in Baku in closed-door proceedings. The most prominent of the defendants,

Azerbaijan has refused to renew its cooperation agreement with The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Thursday, accusing Washington of using USAID to pursue its political agenda.

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has issued a decree activating the Digital Development Concept of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Ex-Moscow investment banker Ruben Vardanyan and 15 other Armenian leaders of the formerly contested Nagorno-Karabakh region went on trial in Azerbaijan on Friday.

Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev is demanding answers, saying Vladimir Putin's latest apology "isn't enough" and that Moscow must take responsibility.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] GENEVA (AP) — A four-year ...