Eight Azerbaijani independent media outlets operating in exile are denouncing a new form of pressure against their work: coordinated copyright complaints that have led Meta to disable several of their social media accounts.
In a joint statement, Abzas Media, Meydan TV, Toplum TV, Azadlıq Qəzeti, HamamTimes, Azərbaycan Saatı, Qəzetçi and Mikroskop Media warn that the complaints are not isolated copyright disputes, but part of a broader campaign to silence independent Azerbaijani media, executed by the regime of Ilham Aliyev. The group calls on Meta to investigate the complaints, restore affected accounts and strengthen safeguards against the abuse of its reporting mechanisms.
The outlets state that the latest attacks are particularly concerning because most of them now operate from outside Azerbaijan. For media working in exile, social media platforms are among the main ways of reaching audiences in their countries of origin. Losing access to these platforms can therefore significantly restrict their ability to distribute journalism and reach citizens who rely on independent coverage.
A new pressure point for media in exile
According to the joint statement, Meta has recently blocked the Instagram accounts of Abzas Media and Toplum TV following copyright complaints. The Facebook and Instagram pages of Azadlıq Qəzeti and the Instagram page of Azərbaycan Saatı had previously been blocked in similar circumstances, while Meydan TV and HamamTimes have also faced copyright complaints in recent months.
The eight outlets say the complaints have targeted journalistic materials published at different times and obtained from different sources. They argue that the complaints have been submitted without evidence demonstrating that those filing them actually hold the copyright to the material.
But their central concern goes beyond individual pieces of content. The outlets claim they have identified similarities between the complaints that suggest coordination. According to their statement, some complaints were submitted by the same person using the same email addresses, while others were filed under different names but contained similar information, contact details and methods.
The media organizations believe this pattern points to a deliberate campaign originating from a common source. They describe the use of copyright-reporting mechanisms as a way of restricting independent media’s access to their audiences and disrupting their operations.
From repression in Azerbaijan to pressure online
The outlets place the latest incidents within the much wider campaign of repression that has targeted independent media in Azerbaijan in recent years.
Their statement describes how journalists and members of their editorial teams have been arrested or prosecuted, forced to leave the country and prevented from operating normally, while independent media websites have also been blocked. The outlets report that more than 25 journalists, including staff members of the eight organizations, are currently detained in Azerbaijan.
This broader context has been documented by international human rights and press freedom organizations. Human Rights Watch says Azerbaijan’s human rights situation continued to deteriorate in 2025 as Ilham Aliyev’s regime intensified its crackdown on independent media, political opponents and civil society. It also notes that authorities have brought criminal charges against journalists and bloggers living abroad, extending the pressure beyond Azerbaijan’s borders.
Against this backdrop, the eight outlets argue that targeting their social media presence represents a continuation of the same campaign by other means: after journalists have been arrested, prosecuted and forced into exile, the platforms they rely on to reach audiences inside Azerbaijan are now also coming under pressure.
The digital front of the crackdown
For media organizations forced into exile, the internet is not simply an additional distribution channel. It is central to their ability to continue working.
The outlets explain that after independent media was suppressed inside Azerbaijan through arrests and other forms of repression, social media became an increasingly important way of maintaining a connection with audiences in the country. They argue that disabling their accounts therefore serves the same ultimate purpose: limiting the reach of critical journalism.
This makes the alleged abuse of platform reporting systems alarming. In addition to blocking a newsroom and/or arresting a journalist, the pressure also operates through the mechanisms of a private technology company.
The outlets are demanding that Meta treat the complaints collectively rather than as unrelated technical cases. They want the company to investigate the source of the complaints, examine the repeated use of particular individuals and email addresses, establish whether complainants actually hold the rights they claim and determine whether its reporting mechanisms are being deliberately abused.
They are also calling for the restoration of accounts that were blocked as a result of what they describe as unfounded complaints, as well as stronger safeguards to prevent coordinated reporting campaigns from becoming a tool of censorship.
Keeping access to Azerbaijani audiences
The significance of the dispute lies ultimately in who can reach Azerbaijani audiences and what information those audiences can access.
The eight outlets say their ability to operate independently is not only a question of journalists’ rights. For them, independent media allows people in Azerbaijan to encounter different viewpoints, access information outside official narratives and scrutinize those in power.
Azerbaijan’s online information environment is already heavily restricted. Freedom House has classified the country as “Not Free” for internet freedom, citing arrests of independent journalists and activists and the government’s efforts to control the information space. Reporters Without Borders likewise says that the crackdown on independent media intensified following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, after which numerous journalists were detained and imprisoned.
For the media outlets behind the joint statement, the latest wave of account restrictions is therefore part of a much longer struggle.
“Attempts to silence independent media” have taken different forms over the years, they argue, from imprisoning journalists and blocking websites to forcing editorial teams into exile. Now, they warn, the same pressure is reaching the social media accounts that allow those exiled journalists to continue working.
NEMO stands in solidarity with Azerbaijan’s independent media
As a network committed to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, the Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO) stands in solidarity with Azerbaijani media outlets operating in exile and their call for Meta to investigate these complaints, and prevent its systems from being abused to restrict access to independent journalism.
This is not the first time NEMO members have experienced campaigns of this nature. Several members are currently facing similar challenges, whether on Meta or YouTube. While some have received support from organizations working to defend digital rights, the problem continues to arise as copyright complaints are reviewed either isolated incidents or through automated mechanisms that fail to recognize coordinated attempts to restrict independent journalism.
We call on social media platforms to take this issue seriously and recognize the potential for their systems to be exploited by authoritarian regimes seeking to restrict access to information. Independent journalism plays a vital role in ensuring that people living in restricted environments can access different perspectives. Digital platforms have a responsibility to ensure that their systems do not become tools for silencing those voices. The time to address this problem is not tomorrow or in a few months. It is now.
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This article was written with the assistance of AI. NEMO journalists remain responsible for accuracy, voice, and final edits.