Baku, Azerbaijan – Journalists arrested in the high-profile “AbzasMedia case” are protesting their recent transfer from the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center to Umbakı Prison, with one prominent figure, Ulvi Hasanli, threatening a hunger strike. The move, which occurred on June 26, has been widely decried as illegal by legal representatives.
Ulvi Hasanli, Mahammad Kekalov, Hafiz Babali, and Farid Mehralizade were among those transferred. According to their relatives, they were initially assured they would remain at the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center. However, this commitment was not honored, leading to their relocation to Umbakı Prison on the morning of June 26.
Relatives of Ulvi Hasanli reported that conditions at Umbakı Prison are more restrictive, specifically noting that live, in-person visits are not permitted, unlike at the Baku facility. Instead, visits are conducted through a glass partition. In response to these conditions and the transfer itself, Ulvi Hasanli has informed his family that he will launch a hunger strike if they are kept at Umbakı.
Lawyer Zibeyda Sadiqova has publicly stated that the transfer is illegal. She highlighted that these individuals should have remained at the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center until their verdicts gained legal force or until they were moved to a designated penitentiary institution. Her argument is supported by Judge Rasim Sadikhov’s own statement during the June 20 sentencing at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, where he affirmed that the accused would be held in the pre-trial detention center until their sentences became legally binding. Peace activist Bahruz Samadov, sentenced to 15 years, was also reportedly among those transferred. The Penitentiary Service has not commented on the matter, reportedly due to it being a non-working day.
The “AbzasMedia case” began with arrests on November 20, 2023. “AbzasMedia” is an independent online media outlet known for its investigative journalism, particularly on corruption linked to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his inner circle. Initially, six employees were detained: director Ulvi Hasanli, deputy director Mahammad Kekalov, editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifqizi, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, and investigative journalist Hafiz Babali. In May 2024, Farid Mehralizade, a journalist and economist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was also arrested as part of the same case, though “AbzasMedia” issued a statement on the day of his arrest indicating no collaboration with him.
The journalists were charged with smuggling and serious financial crimes. However, they, along with numerous local and international human rights organizations, have consistently rejected these accusations, maintaining that the criminal prosecutions are politically motivated reprisals for their journalistic activities. The preliminary and court investigations collectively spanned nearly two years.
On June 20, at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Rasim Sadikhov, harsh sentences were delivered:
- Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqizi), Hafiz Babali, and Farid Mehralizade were each sentenced to 9 years in prison.
- Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova received 8-year sentences.
- Mahammad Kekalov was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months.
Local and international human rights organizations continue to categorize these arrests as politically motivated and have consistently called for the journalists’ immediate release and the withdrawal of all charges against them. The latest transfer to Umbakı Prison only intensifies concerns regarding the treatment and legal rights of the detained journalists.