Azerbaijani regime continues crackdown on journalists 

ArmInfo. Seven journalists who raised the issue of major corruption deals in construction work in Nagorno-Karabakh have been sentenced to 7-9 years in prison in Azerbaijan. This is stated in the publication of the Scientific and Analytical Foundation GEGARD.

The authorities accused the journalists on the basis of fabricated  charges, and the witnesses in this case, according to the defense,  under pressure withdrew or refuted their previous testimonies.  Imprisoned journalists regularly report inhumane conditions in  Azerbaijani prisons.

The European Union expressed concern about the pressure on  journalists and their imprisonment and called on Azerbaijan to  respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, fulfill its  international obligations and take urgent steps to create a safe and  enabling environment for all journalists and media workers. The EU  statement, the report says, comes after the June 20 verdicts against  journalists and staff of the independent news website AbzasMedia  operating in Azerbaijan. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced  AbzasMedia director Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi,  investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, and Radio Liberty journalist  Farid Mehralizade to 9 years in prison. Journalists Nargiz Absalamova  and Elnara Gasimova were sentenced to 8 years in prison, and  vice-director Mahammad Kekalov was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.   '

The AbzasMedia journalists were arrested back in late 2023, and Radio  Liberty journalist Farid Mehralizadeh was arrested in May 2024.  Despite AbzasMedia's claim that the Radio Liberty journalist was not  their employee and had no connection with them, Mehralizadeh was  arrested in the same case. The journalist noted that the reason for  his persecution was his economic investigations conducted for Radio  Liberty. "The prosecutor's office also appointed me as an employee of  AbzasMedia, allegedly I worked there in the office and was their  economic expert. Both of these statements are false," the journalist  said.

The arrested men were accused of "currency smuggling," "money  laundering," and "document forgery." They deny the charges against  them and claim that the arrests are political persecution related to  their corruption investigations. In particular, the investigation  "concerns reconstruction work in Nagorno- Karabakh after the 2020  war, as well as reports of illegal financial networks of state-linked  companies."

"???In countries where the rule of law and judicial independence are  not respected, trials are nothing more than a false smile of  authoritarian authorities," Mehralizade said in his closing remarks  during the trial, adding that the verdict was not handed down by the  judges, but by those who ordered their arrest.

International human rights organizations have responded to the  pressure on journalists in Azerbaijan and their recent convictions  with stronger statements.

"The case against AbzasMedia is an example of how Azerbaijan's  justice system is being used as a tool to suppress independent  journalism in the country," the authoritative human rights  organization Amnesty International said in a statement. The  organization noted that egregious cases of political persecution are  taking place in Azerbaijan, but the international community has not  taken a unified and principled position.

The organization Journalists Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the  court's decision, noting that "it is a symbol of the systemic  pressure exerted by the authorities on the independent press."

"The authorities are intent on destroying the remnants of independent  journalism in the country," this is how the Committee to Protect  Journalists (CPJ) responded to the pressure on freedom of speech and  the media in Azerbaijan.

The International Press Institute (IPI) also condemned the court  sentences and said that the journalists' only crime was exposing the  involvement of the ruling elite of Azerbaijan in large-scale  corruption deals.

According to a statement by the International Union of Journalists  (IFJ), the arrest of journalists is the authorities' revenge for  exposing corruption schemes involving circles close to the  government.

International organizations also responded to the trial of  Azerbaijani activist Bahruz Samedov, who was sentenced to 15 years in  prison by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. Samedov was accused of  treason: he allegedly collaborated with the Armenian special  services. Samedov and his defense denied the charges and stated that  the real reason for the arrest was the activist's peaceful and  anti-war articles,

According to the annual report of the Committee to Protect  Journalists (CPJ), in 2024, Azerbaijan ranked 10th among the  countries in the world with the worst indicators for the number of  imprisoned journalists.

The organization Journalists Without Borders (RSF) recorded that the  press freedom index in Azerbaijan is constantly declining. According  to the RSF Press Freedom Index, Azerbaijan ranked 164th out of 180  countries in 2024, and 167th in 2025.

According to the data for June of the Public Organization "Freedom  for Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan", 29 journalists and bloggers  are under arrest in the country.

According to the Council of Europe's Platform for the Safety of  Journalists, 36 journalists are deprived of their freedom. This  figure is the highest among Council of Europe member states since  2001, when Azerbaijan joined this organization.

Despite the reaction and calls of the international community, the  Azerbaijani authorities continue to ignore international obligations  and fundamental human rights. While international structures limit  themselves to statements expressing concern, Baku is becoming  increasingly unbridled in its actions and strengthening its control  over freedom of speech, civil society and journalistic activity.