Azerbaijan has made headlines yet again for its handling of journalists, following the arrest of the editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi and director Ulvi Hasanli from the privately-owned independent Abzas Media. Arrests were carried out after the news outlet’s reports hinting at corruption involving close relatives of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and state officials.
Early on Monday, Ulvi Hasanli was detained by Azerbaijan police who also raided his apartment and the Abzas Media Baku office. Hasanli claimed that the police planted 40,000 Euros on his property to justify his apprehension. Vagifgizi, returning from a business trip was also intercepted by the police upon arrival at the Baku airport. Furthermore, Mahammad Kekalov, Hasanli’s assistant, has reportedly been missing since Monday.
The district court of Baku has subsequently levelled charges of smuggling foreign currency against the journalists, with a detainment length of four months. If found guilty, the individuals face up to eight years in prison under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. The journalists, while denying all allegations, have condemned the arrests as retaliation for Abzas Media’s investigative journalism.
This isn’t the first time journalists have faced pressures for exposing governmental corruption in Azerbaijan. Earlier, in 2020, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the arrest and detention of Khadija Ismayilova, a critic of the Azerbaijani government, was an attempt to silence her following her inquiry into the alleged involvement of President Aliyev’s family in questionable business activities.
It’s worth noting that President Aliyev has held officesince 2003, succeeding his father Heydar Aliyev. Constitutional changes extending the duration and terms of presidential office met significant criticism in 2006. In 2021, notes from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealed that the Aliyev family holds substantial foreign properties and offshore accounts.
In light of these events, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged for the journalists’ immediate release and called for Azerbaijan authorities to maintain the operations of Abzas Media.