On January 21, the next court hearing in the "Abzas Media case" was held.

At the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, during the proceedings chaired by Judge Rasim Sadikhov, Ulvi Hasanli, the director of "Abzas Media," gave his testimony freely.

We present Ulvi Hasanli’s statement in court:

"In 2016, along with a group of colleagues, we founded 'Abzas Media,' and I have been leading the organization since then. Our goal was to shed light on the problems of citizens through innovative methods and uncover high-level corruption as a free and professional media outlet. We pursued this goal. During this time, we published unique reports and bold corruption investigations that sparked extensive discussions.

We knew that we would incur the wrath of Ilham Aliyev because of our work. However, that did not deter us. We continued our activities without self-censorship because our country faces serious social, political, and legal issues. The root cause of these problems is the greed for money, wealth, and power of the ruling elite.

Our investigations revealed that the 10 billion manat allocated for reconstruction efforts in Karabakh between 2021 and 2023 flowed into family-owned companies of Ilham Aliyev and his inner circle. Karabakh was liberated at the cost of the blood of the poor, and the oligarchs reoccupied it. Under the guise of patriotism, they are adding enormous wealth to their fortunes.

Our research uncovered that agricultural land in Karabakh was distributed by the companies of Ilham Aliyev, Baylar Ayyubov, and Ali Nagiyev. By the end of this year, the funds allocated for the Karabakh projects will reach 20 billion manat. Now, imagine the scale and scope of this situation.

The mission of journalism is to establish public oversight over governments and bring problems to light. The president and his sycophantic circle say that we are wrong, that journalism is actually the art of glorifying, covering up crimes, corruption, and machinations. In other words, everything that contradicts journalism is considered true journalism by the dictatorship.

The investigation materials related to the 'Abzas Media case' were fabricated and prepared through unlawful and criminal means. I was beaten when I was detained. They were asking why we were conducting corruption investigations, demanding the passwords to my phone and computer. Then, they took my devices to the Cybercrime Department and attempted to crack my passwords. Farid was also beaten when he was arrested.

The interrogations and witness testimonies were conducted under threats, blackmail, and pressure. Even in the 'Toplum TV case,' the investigator, Alibala Hajizada, tried to deceive journalist Ali Zeynalli into giving testimony against me. But Ali realized that the investigator was lying. They also made Mahammad’s family dismiss the lawyer they had hired.

Our case was fabricated on false grounds. They planted money in the office and took it. We demanded an expert examination of the fingerprints on the money, but they refused because they knew that the fingerprints on the money would belong to those who rob the people and commit state crimes. It is clear how this fabricated case was constructed and concluded.

The criminal case consisted of 27 volumes, approximately 7,000 pages, but contained no evidence or proof. Forged facts, confessions extracted under torture, blackmail, and unsubstantiated claims. In short, it was a waste of paper made up of word piles and fabricated court decisions. In essence, it is another judicial show created by the dictatorship, a stain on the name of Azerbaijan.

Before and after our arrests, there were offers and threats to stop our activities. We did not stop. They arrested us to silence us, but we did not remain silent. This time, we started writing about the torture, unlawfulness, corruption, and the problems of prisoners in the jails.

We are engaged in creative work, generating new ideas, researching, and looking at things from different perspectives. Our work has never been a template, a framework, or a sycophantic activity. Our team consists of intelligent, dignified, brave, and capable people who would never follow a task they believe is wrong. So, the government should not waste its strength trying to make us bow down. For us, every place is suitable for journalism, and every problem is a topic. In any case, we will continue our journalistic activities wherever we are and whatever the circumstances.

Ilham Aliyev wants all journalists to be like Mirshahin. He wants everyone to flatter him and live with lies. There is a good saying from our elders: 'Show me your friend, and I will tell you who you are.' His friends are Kiselyov, Solovyov, Mirshahin, and my friends are Sevinj, Elnara, Nargiz, Hafiz, Mahammad, Farid, and other great people like them.

The girls set an unprecedented example. Sevinj knowingly returned to Baku from abroad, knowing she would be arrested at the airport. Nargiz did not stop her activities despite the possibility of arrest, and she did not evade investigation. Elnara packed her things, prepared a report, and fearlessly came to the prison. Azerbaijan's history has never seen such an example. These actions once again prove that we have nothing to fear or be afraid of, we have not committed any crimes. We were arrested precisely because of our journalistic activities.

The person who prepared the charges against us, defended them, and issued false court rulings is the same person: Ilham Aliyev. Our case is a caricature in this sense. It is a true example of dictatorship."

Ulvi Hasanli January 21, 2025.