{"id":30854,"date":"2025-06-24T14:07:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/?p=30854"},"modified":"2025-06-24T14:07:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:07:01","slug":"eu-condemns-azerbaijans-heavy-prison-sentences-for-independent-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/news-feed\/eu-condemns-azerbaijans-heavy-prison-sentences-for-independent-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Condemns Azerbaijan’s Heavy Prison Sentences for Independent Journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brussels, June 23, 2025<\/strong> \u2014 The European Union has issued a strong condemnation of Azerbaijan’s decision to impose lengthy prison sentences on journalists and staff from the independent media outlet Abzas Media, calling the development “worrying” and demanding immediate action to protect press freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement released Monday by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU expressed serious concern over the sentences, which follow a pattern of increasing restrictions on independent journalism in the Caucasus nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven Journalists Sentenced to Up to Nine Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An Azerbaijani court sentenced seven journalists to prison terms ranging from seven to nine years in what press freedom groups have condemned as a sham trial on financial crimes charges. The sentences were handed down in what critics describe as part of an ongoing crackdown on independent media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abzas Media’s director Ulvi Hasanli was among those receiving a nine-year sentence, while reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova were sentenced to eight years in prison, and deputy director Mahammad Kekelov received 7\u00bd years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journalists were initially arrested on charges of “currency smuggling,” allegations that press freedom organizations have dismissed as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Outcry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The EU’s statement emphasized that “independent journalism plays a vital role in upholding transparency, accountability, and informed public discourse,” calling on Azerbaijan to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the sentences as “outrageous” and “the outcome of a purely” political process, while other international organizations have also expressed alarm at the escalating restrictions on press freedom in Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that eight Azerbaijani journalists in total have received prison sentences ranging from 7\u00bd to 15 years as part of what they describe as “an ongoing series of media trials likely to obliterate independent reporting in the Caucasus nation”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broader Crackdown Context<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The sentencing of the Abzas Media journalists represents the latest development in what observers describe as a systematic campaign against independent media in Azerbaijan. According to the International Federation of Journalists, there are currently 23 cases of journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan simply for doing their job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trials were conducted behind closed doors, raising additional concerns about due process and transparency in Azerbaijan’s judicial system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EU Calls for Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The European Union has called on Azerbaijan to “uphold its international obligations and take immediate steps to ensure a safe and enabling environment for all journalists and media workers.” The statement reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to “continue the dialogue and cooperation on human rights with Azerbaijan.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development comes as Azerbaijan faces increasing international scrutiny over its human rights record, particularly regarding press freedom and the treatment of civil society organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sentences represent one of the most significant crackdowns on independent journalism in Azerbaijan in recent years, effectively targeting one of the country’s few remaining independent news outlets and raising serious questions about the future of press freedom in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brussels, June 23, 2025 \u2014 The European Union has issued a strong condemnation of Azerbaijan’s decision to impose lengthy prison sentences on journalists and staff from the independent media outlet Abzas Media, calling the development “worrying” and demanding immediate action to protect press freedom. In a statement released Monday by the European External Action Service […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":30856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-feed"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30854","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=30854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30857,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30854\/revisions\/30857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}