On March 27, the Baku Court of Appeal rejected the complaint of Ulvi Hasanli, director of the online publication “Abzas Media,” to extend the period of pre-trial detention for another 3 months. During the court hearing, he denied the accusation and stated that he was being persecuted for investigative journalism by “Abzas Media.”
Hasanli was detained on November 20, 2023. He was charged with smuggling foreign currency and by a court decision he was imprisoned for 4 months. In mid-March, the court extended the arrest period for another 3 months.
Five more journalists and media workers of “Abzas Media” have been arrested in this case.
International journalistic and human rights organizations have condemned the Azerbaijani authorities for harassing employees of “Abzas Media” for their professional activities.