Appeal Court Upholds Sentence Against Abzas Media Journalists

September 09, 2025 – Azerbaijan –

A Baku appellate court has denied the appeal from journalists associated with Abzas Media, upholding prison sentences ranging from 7½ to 9 years. Sentences were confirmed for seven media professionals, including director Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi, investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, economist Farid Mehralizade (also a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent), and reporters Nargiz Absalamova, Elnara Gasimova, and coordinator Mahammad Kekalov.

During the appeal hearing, the defendants publicly denounced the trial, chanting slogans such as “The ban on AbzasMedia’s activities is illegal,” “Journalism is not a crime,” and “Ilham Aliyev, declare your income.” Court officials forcibly removed the protest signs from inside the courtroom.

Background: On June 20, the Baku Court of Serious Crimes convicted the seven journalists on charges including smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion, and forgery. Sentences were as follows: Hasanli, Vagifgizi, Babali, and Mehralizade received nine years; Absalamova and Gasimova each received eight; Kekalov received seven-and-a-half. The defendants, as well as human rights and press freedom advocates, condemned the trial as a politically motivated attack on independent journalism.

This case underscores Azerbaijan’s increasingly repressive climate for independent media. Since 2023, government authorities have targeted outlets like Abzas Media, Meydan TV, Toplum TV, and others under similarly dubious charges—undermining press freedom and employing the legal system to suppress dissent.

References –

https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/68453