Azerbaijan: EFJ Condemns Inhumane Treatment of Abzas Media Journalists

Strategic Insights -

Ulvi Hasanli, the director of Abzas Media, has been subjected to inhumane treatment in the remote Umbaki prison in Azerbaijan. Despite a court decision on July 3 to transfer Hasanli to the Baku Pretrial Detention Centre, the Penitentiary Service has failed to do so. Hasanli has been denied clean clothing, forced to sleep on a broken bed, and has been assaulted by detention centre staff members. He has been on a hunger strike for over a week to protest his treatment. Hasanli's female colleagues, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova, have joined his hunger strike in solidarity. The Azerbaijani authorities are being called upon to transfer Hasanli to the Baku Pretrial Detention Centre and to treat his imprisoned colleagues lawfully.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ulvi Hasanli, director of Abzas Media, is being held in inhumane conditions in the remote Umbaki prison in Azerbaijan.
  • Hasanli has been denied clean clothing, forced to sleep on a broken bed, and assaulted by detention centre staff members.
  • He has been on a hunger strike for over a week to protest his treatment and has been joined by his female colleagues Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova.
  • The court decision on July 3 to transfer Hasanli to the Baku Pretrial Detention Centre has not been complied with by the Penitentiary Service.
  • The charges brought against the Abzas Media journalists are widely viewed as politically motivated, in retaliation for their independent reporting on corruption and abuse of power.
  • The journalists face prison sentences ranging from seven and a half years to nine years, and have been denied basic needs such as appropriate clothing and access to showers and ventilation.
  • Hasanli's family, as reported by Meydan TV, has stated that the detention centre staff members have subjected him to physical pressure, resulting in a leg injury.

Statistics:

  • 9 years: the prison sentence imposed on Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, and Azadliq Radio reporter Farid Mehralizade.
  • 8 years: the prison sentence imposed on Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova.
  • 7.5 years: the prison sentence imposed on AbzasMedia coordinator Muhammad Kekalov.
  • 20 November 2023: the date of the arrests of the Abzas Media journalists.
  • 20 June 2025: the date of the Baku Court of Serious Crimes' decision to sentence the journalists to prison.

Sources:

  • European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
  • International Press Institute (IPI)
  • European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
  • Index on Censorship
  • Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
  • International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)
  • Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
  • Rory Peck Trust (RPT)
  • European Journalists' blog post, dated 30 July 2025: Azerbaijan: EFJ condemns inhumane treatment of Abzas Media journalists.