Media organization's detained employees demand punishment for those who abused them in Baku Detention Center No. 1
The detained employees of Abzas Media have refused to participate in the trial set for February 11. This decision stems from the court's failure to investigate their complaints regarding the violence and inhuman treatment they faced at Baku Detention Center No. 1, where they are currently held.
The statement released by the journalists today reveals that the prison staff who engaged in the violence have not yet faced punishment.
“This indicates that the government is mandating such behavior towards us. The reason is that we exposed the illegal activities occurring in the prison. We will not ignore illegalities under any circumstances,” the statement said.
Journalists have repeatedly highlighted the numerous violations of the law and the physical and psychological violence inflicted upon them in the detention center. Subsequently, the detention center administration orchestrated provocations against journalists and created obstacles to the exercise of their rights.
In November of last year, the editor-in-chief of the publication, Sevinj Vagifqizi, and reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, who were detained in the women's division, were subjected to violence when they protested the closing of the ventilation hatches in their cells. The guards bruised Sevinj Vagifqizi's arm between the ventilation hatch doors. The senior sergeant, Aziza Mammadova, insulted Nargiz Absalamova.
A guard named Vahid threatened the prisoners and coerced them into providing statements against Elnara Gasimova. The female prisoners were instructed to include in their statements that they had witnessed the journalist assault the guard.
Also, after Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli wrote about the torture of 58 people in Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 over 6 months, his roommate, on the direct orders of the chief Elnur Ismayilov, pulled a razor on him and threatened him with death.
Finally, in February of this year, an employee of the women's wing of the detention center named Aygul Babayeva committed violence against Sevinj Vagifqizi and Nargiz Absalamova. She told journalists that the order was given "from above."
Because the journalists publicized the illegalities in the detention center, obstacles were repeatedly created for their meetings with their families, and telephone conversations were cut off. It was not possible to get a comment from the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice on these cases.
The last Abzas Media case court hearing was held on January 21. The next hearing was scheduled for February 11 so the new lawyer of the arrested Mahammad Kekalov could familiarize himself with the case.
Six employees of Abzas Media, which conducts corruption investigations in Azerbaijan, have been arrested since November 20, 2023: director Ulvi Hasanli, his deputy Mahammad Kekalov, editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifqizi, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, and investigative journalist Hafiz Babali.
Farid Mehralızadeh, a journalist and economist for Radio Liberty, was arrested in May of last year as part of the Abzas Media case. On that same day, Abzas Media released a statement declaring it had no affiliation with Mehralızadeh.
Initially, all the journalists were charged with smuggling.
In August, the charges against those arrested in the “Abzas Media case” were aggravated. In light of the additional charges brought by the investigation, the journalists now face prison sentences ranging from 8 to 12 years.
Local and international human rights organizations consider these arrests to be politically motivated and are calling for the release of the journalists, as well as the dropping of the charges against them.
