Ulviyya Ali, a journalist arrested in connection with the \u201cMeydan TV case,\u201d has written from Baku Detention Facility No. 1, describing how the effects of the torture she endured during detention have become more severe. She says she now suffers daily from headaches, nausea, dizziness, and vision blackouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Journalist Ulviyya Ali (Guliyeva) was violently detained by officers of the Baku City Main Police Department on the night of May 7. Her home was searched. That same day, Khatai District Court ordered a pretrial detention of 1 month and 29 days against her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On December 6, 2024, several Meydan TV journalists\u2014Ramin Deko (Jabrayilzade), Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunash), Aysel Umudova, Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdiq), Khayala Agayeva, and Natiq Javadli\u2014were also detained. They were charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons in prior collusion). The case became known as the \u201cMeydan TV case.\u201d Subsequently, other journalists\u2014Shamshad Aga, Nurlan Libre, and Fatima Movlamli\u2014were also arrested. Meydan TV maintains that these arrests are due to their critical reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below is the full letter Ulviyya Ali sent from prison to JAMnews:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been 20 days since my detention, but no necessary steps have been taken to examine me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn 2017, a 4mm microadenoma tumor was discovered near my pituitary gland. Since then, I\u2019ve received annual medical checkups and treatment. Since the assault on May 7, not a single day has passed without headaches, nausea, dizziness, and blackouts. I take 2\u20133 painkillers daily, but that\u2019s not enough for effective treatment. I suspect more serious damage, because in addition to nausea, I\u2019ve vomited at different times and had nosebleeds on two occasions. I strongly suspect that the violence inflicted on me has caused more severe harm to my health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite 20 days having passed since the violence, no forensic medical examination has been appointed. While the signs of violence may fade with time, the damage to my health cannot be erased\u2014it reveals itself in different forms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo police officer who subjected me to violence or threatened me with rape has been held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve also been subjected to other violations of my rights. Although I was detained around 11 PM on May 6, the records state 3:50 AM on May 7. A search was unlawfully conducted in my home without a lawyer present. They claimed to have found \u20ac6,700 in my home, but that money does not belong to me. In fact, I don\u2019t even use cash in Azerbaijani manats. Especially in a country where more than 30 journalists have been arrested under similar pretexts, even if the money were mine, keeping it at home would be foolish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe thing I miss most is doing journalism\u2014and, of course, music.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes I hum to myself. I feel regret when something interesting happens in the cell and I can\u2019t photograph it. But I\u2019m recording everything in my memory. The day I was arrested, when I reached the entrance of the building, the red light from the black car cast a beautiful reflection on the rainy pavement. I even raised my head to take a photo\u2014then the man who arrested me came up and took my phone. I didn\u2019t know that would be the last photo I\u2019d take in freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first book I read in prison was the biography of Marie Antoinette. In a strange coincidence, on May 10, I read this passage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Finally, on Tuesday, May 10, at half past three, the candle went out. The palace trembled from room to room with the cry that shook every corner: \u201cThe king is dead, long live the king!\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I read that sentence, I remembered my dear friend Bayram Mammadov, and also Giyas Ibrahimov. They came to mind again when I was subjected to violence at the Baku City Police Department, because I was being abused under the same roof they once were. We have not only become comrades in ideology, but also companions in fate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJournalism is not a crime!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Addressing her arrest under the \u201cMeydan TV case,\u201d she writes that she had been working with Voice of America since 2019. After it ceased operations, she continued to post court reports and coverage on her own Facebook profile, without compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThose greedy for money can never understand the meaning of that. Journalism is not about money to me; it\u2019s a matter of conscience. I have no professional relationship with Meydan TV. To limit my journalistic activity, they\u2019re trying to tie me to a criminal case involving a media outlet I have no business affiliation with,\u201d she writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to reiterate once more that journalism is not a crime! I thank everyone who has supported me these past days, who shed light on the violence and rape threats I endured, and who shared information about my case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With love, Ulviyya Ali, a journalist arrested in connection with the \u201cMeydan TV case,\u201d has written from Baku Detention Facility No. 1, describing how the effects of the torture she endured during detention have become more severe. She says she now suffers daily from headaches, nausea, dizziness, and vision blackouts. Journalist Ulviyya Ali (Guliyeva) was violently detained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":30743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1047],"class_list":["post-30742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-feed","tag-editor"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30744,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30742\/revisions\/30744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Ulviyya Ali
BDI (Baku Detention Facility)\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"