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November 08, 2025 – Azerbaijan –
Journalist Nargiz Absalamova, currently serving an eight-year prison sentence in Azerbaijan, has been honoured with the 2025 Free Media Awards in recognition of her fearless work with Abzas Media. The award ceremony took place on 6 November in Hamburg and was accepted on Absalamova’s behalf by Abzas Media director Gunel Safarova.
Fritt Ord, in collaboration with Germany’s ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius, presents the Free Media Awards to journalists who uphold freedom of expression amid intense political pressure. In her acceptance message from prison, Absalamova reflected on how incarceration transformed her view of journalism from a job into a vital mission. She noted that with each detained colleague, her sense of isolation grew and stressed that when journalists are silenced, an entire nation loses its voice.
Before her arrest, Absalamova had distinguished herself by producing investigative reports and short documentaries highlighting climate concerns, corruption, and social rights. Her work gave visibility to marginalised women, young people, and vulnerable local communities, and amassed significant social-media attention. She was detained on 1 December 2023 on a currency-smuggling allegation, then handed down the eight-year sentence in June 2025 following charges including illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, and money laundering.
The awarding organisation emphasises that the crackdown on female journalists in Azerbaijan reflects not only suppression of press freedom but also gender-specific efforts to exclude women from public life. Absalamova’s steadfast belief that “these walls cannot kill words” resonates deeply in a media environment where state pressure, arrests, and intimidation have severely narrowed the space for independent reporting.
This award shines a spotlight on the broader suppression of journalism in Azerbaijan and amplifies the call for the release of detained media workers. Absalamova’s recognition not only acknowledges her individual courage but also symbolises solidarity with all those who continue to report the truth under threat.
Reference –
https://frittord.no/en/prizes/free-media-awards/nargiz-absalamova-azerbaijan
https://abzas.org/en/2025/11/imprisoned-abzas-media-journ918a27af-9/
