Azerbaijani court keeps Abzas Media journalists in custody
The Abzas Media case
Hafiz Babali, a journalist arrested in the Abzas Media case, demands that pro-government media outlets remove reports damaging his reputation and provide a retraction. If the demand is not fulfilled within a week, the journalist vows to sue these outlets.
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The pro-government website qafqazainfo.az published an article “New details on the case of Hafiz Babali”. Although there were no new details in the article, the journalist was accused of cooperating with international grant organizations and of making commissioned materials. After that, the piece was also disseminated by ikisahil.az website, ATV TV channel and other pro-government media.
The journalist stated that he does not have and has had no direct or indirect connection with the organizations mentioned in these articles:
“I have not received orders from any international or local organizations or individuals, nor have I conducted any commissioned investigations or written articles. I have never been sued for any investigation of which I am the author, nor have I been asked for a retraction.
I categorically deny completely false and slanderous materials about me, which have nothing to do with the truth and are aimed at damaging my business reputation as an investigative journalist and discrediting me in front of the public,” reads the journalist’s statement sent to the editorial office of Turan Agency from the detention center.
Hafiz Babali is an investigative journalist known in Azerbaijan for investigating corruption crimes in the highest government elite. He was arrested on December 13 last year in the case of the online publication Abzas Media. His latest investigations were published in this very publication.
This was the latest arrest in the case. Since November 20 last year, Ulvi Hasanly, the publication’s director, his deputy Mohammed Kekalov, chief editor Sevinj Vagifgizi, and reporter Nargiz Absalamova have been arrested. All of them are charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed in collusion with a group of persons) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
According to the court decision, the bank accounts of all defendants in the case of Abzas Media and relatives of some of them were seized. The pension accounts of the mothers of Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifgizi are also among those blocked.
All of them maintain their innocence and claim that their arrest is directly related to their journalistic activities, namely exposing investigations into the corrupt activities of high-ranking officials published on Abzas Media.
None of the five journalists are allowed to communicate by phone with their families, nor are they allowed to meet.
“You probably know that we – Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, Hafiz Babali, Mahammad Kekalov and I – are in complete isolation. Neither telephone conversation nor meetings with our families are allowed. There is even a ban on calling our lawyers, the Ombudsman and writing letters to our relatives. Books from our families are not given to us either. If they could, they would probably leave us without food brought by our relatives. They just don’t want us to go on hunger strike, so food from home is being given to us for now.
The government’s treatment of us is harsher than that of prisoners of war. They are allowed to talk to their families at least once a month by phone, while we are not even allowed to do that. The reason for this is obvious. The government hates and shows hostility towards free journalists, critics and those who speak the truth,” Ulvi Hasanli wrote in a appeal from prison.
On January 10, appeal trials on granting house arrest to Ulvi Hasanly, Sevinj Vagifgizi and Hafiz Babali were held. All three appeals were rejected.
Vagifgizi said in her speech at the court session that she did not expect a fair decision from the judge. According to her, judges in Azerbaijan do not make decisions on the basis of laws, but simply execute the orders given to them.
“In Azerbaijan, journalism is considered a crime. Therefore, as a journalist, I am sitting in jail,” Vagifgizi said.
