 8. Journalist arrested in Azerbaijan Azerbaijani authorities have arrested the 8th journalist since November amid what rights activists say is a crackdown on independent media. Journalist Samo Eminov, who contributed to the Canal 13 independent online television channel, was detained on December 22 on charges of alleged smuggling that supporters dismiss as trumped up. His wife, Durdana Eminova, told Radio Liberty that a court in Baku had sent her husband to pre-trial detention for at least three months. Eminov is among other journalists who worked for Canal 13 to have been arrested in recent weeks. On December 2, police in Baku detained Canal 13 presenter Rufat Muradli, who later was handed a 30-day jail term on charges of minor hooliganism and disobeying police orders. Chief of Canal 13, Aziz Oradov, was arrested in late November on a charge of illegal property construction. He was later additionally charged with smuggling. In late November, four journalists and editors of the Abzaz Media Independent investigative website Ulfi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagif Kizi, Mohamed Kekalov, and Nagis Absalamovar were arrested after police claimed they found 40,000 euros in cash in the offices of Abzaz media. Four journalists were then charged with illegally smuggling foreign currency. The journalists insist the case against them is trumped up in retaliation for reports about corruption among officials. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and reporters without borders have demanded Azerbaijani authorities immediately release the journalists and drop all charges against them.