Azerbaijan Hands Long Prison Sentences to 7 Journalists, Critics say Trial was a Sham
On Friday, an Azerbaijani court handed lengthy prison sentences to staff members of the independent outlet Abzas Media and a journalist from RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service. The trial had been condemned as a farce amid an escalating crackdown on critical media in the country.
Banner: Photo: Gulzar Mammadli
An Azerbaijani court has sentenced seven journalists to prison terms ranging from seven to nine years after a financial crimes trial widely condemned by press freedom and human rights groups as a sham.
All seven were initially arrested on charges of “currency smuggling,” a claim Azerbaijani authorities have used against more than two dozen journalists. Prosecutors later added money laundering charges to the case.
The journalists deny all accusations, calling them retaliation for their professional work.
“The case against Abzas Media is an example of how Azerbaijan’s judicial system is being weaponized to muzzle independent journalism and calls for a strong international response,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director after the verdict.
“The political repression in Azerbaijan today is staggering, yet we lack a united, principled stand against it from the international community, in defence of human rights. In stark contrast, major actors like the European Union persist in actively courting President Ilham Aliyev in search of lucrative gas deals,” she added.
The verdict was delivered Friday at the Baku Grave Crimes Court, according to reports from Abzas Media and RFE/RL, both of which had reporters in the courtroom.
Those convicted include six staff members from Abzas Media, an independent outlet known for investigating corruption and human rights violations. The arrest of the Abzas team in November 2023 marked the start of a wider crackdown on independent media. So far, 28 journalists have been arrested.
Abzas Media’s director Ulvi Hasanli and editor-in-chief Sevinc Vaqifgizi were each sentenced to nine years. Deputy director Mahammad Kekalov received seven years and six months. Reporters Elnara Gasimova and Nargiz Absalamova were sentenced to eight years each, while freelance journalist Hafiz Babali also received nine years.
Also sentenced was economist and RFE/RL journalist Farid Mehralizade, arrested in May 2024 as part of the same case. Abzas Media noted that while Mehralizade had once been quoted as an expert, he had no connection to the outlet. He too received a nine-year sentence.
According to Abzas Media, the journalists turned their backs to the judges as the verdict was read, holding up posters referencing their investigations into Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his inner circle.
Editor-in-chief Vaqifgizi reportedly told the court that Aliyev had personally ordered the case “because the corruption crimes we were investigating affected him and his close circle.”
“Ilham Aliyev can take away our physical freedom, but he cannot take away our freedom of thought, expression, and speech,” said Hasanli, according to Abzas Media.
RFE/RL reported that Mehralizade told the court during his closing statement: “The verdict you will read will not be the verdict of the judges, but of those who ordered our arrest.”
“In countries where the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary are not respected,” he added, “judicial processes are nothing more than a fake smile from authoritarian governments.”
In a statement Friday, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus called the case against Mehralizade a “sham.”
“Farid has already lost a great deal,” Capus said. “Unjustifiably detained for more than a year, he missed the birth of his child, and now waits for elusive justice.” He urged authorities to reunite Mehralizade with his family.
