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2023-11-27 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
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Human rights activists demanded the release of Hasanli and Vagifgyzy
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The International Association of Human Rights Defenders demanded that the Azerbaijani authorities release the leaders of the Abzas Media publication, as well as other arrested journalists and activists. The court has set a date for considering complaints against the arrests of Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifgizi, lawyers said.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, the arrest of the director of the online publication Abzas Media Ulvi Hasanli (also referred to in the media as Hasanli) is related to the publication's anti-corruption investigations and contradicts Azerbaijan's obligations as a member of the Council of Europe, three PACE rapporteurs indicated in a joint statement on November 23 and called for the release Hasanli and his colleague Sevinj Vagifgyzy. Accusations against journalists of the publication of smuggling are implausible, Azerbaijani human rights activists confirmed.
Continued from Page 5
On November 20, Ulvi Hasanli and the editor-in-chief of the publication Sevinj Vagifgyzy were detained and charged with currency smuggling due to 40,000 euros found in the editorial office during a search. 21-year-old Mohammed Kekalov, who collaborated with Abzas Media and is involved in social projects and supporting people with disabilities, was charged in the same case. All three were taken into custody. Who makes Abzas Media and who the publication’s anti-corruption investigations are dedicated to can be read in the “Caucasian Knot” reference “ Why Abzas Media did not please the Azerbaijani authorities.”
The Brussels-based International Association of Human Rights Defenders (IAHRD) issued a statement expressing concern about the arrests of journalists in Azerbaijan. “The International Association for the Defense of Human Rights strongly condemns the arrest of Ulvi Hasanli, director of Abzas Media, one of the few independent media organizations in Azerbaijan, and Sevinj Vagifgizi, editor-in-chief of this publication,” says a statement received by the Caucasian Knot correspondent today.
The association is also “extremely concerned” about the arrest of Mohammed Kekalov. She called on the Azerbaijani government to immediately release those arrested and drop all charges against them. “We believe that the arrests are related to Abzas Media’s investigation into corruption in the Azerbaijani government.
In July 2023, Ulvi Hasanli was briefly detained while trying to film a feminist flash mob. Prior to this, he was questioned by the police for what he posted on his account on Facebook* photos of police officers who participated in the arrest of journalists covering protests in the village of Soyudlu. Sevinj Vagifkizi was also repeatedly persecuted for her activities, including surveillance using the Pegasus spy program. For some time, the journalist was prohibited from leaving the country for no reason," the statement says.
Despite the protection of freedom of speech declared by the country’s laws, the media environment in Azerbaijan is extremely limited, notes the IAHHR. “Independent journalists and bloggers are forced to self-censor or face government repression. At least six journalists are currently in prison on politically motivated charges. Political authorities exercise almost complete control over traditional media such as television, radio and newspapers "In December 2021, Azerbaijan adopted a new law "On Media", which gave the authorities the right to harshly punish the media and journalists on minor grounds," the association indicated.
According to the authors of the document, “such an aggressive attitude of the government towards critical voices contradicts the country’s obligations to international organizations.” The statement draws attention to the fact that the arrests of Abzas Media representatives “are another example of politically motivated arrests in recent times in Azerbaijan.”
The IAHHR also recalled cases of arrests “on false and unfounded charges” - criticism of the government’s corruption policies - economist and politician Gubad Ibadoglu , journalist Avaz Zeynalli , activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev . The Association called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release these people and other political prisoners and stop persecuting citizens for exercising freedom of expression.
The document also notes that the IAHHR was founded in 2013 in Belgium by the Azerbaijani society “Legal Education of Sumgayit Youth”, the staff of the newspaper “Yukselish Namine” (In the Name of Revival) and a group of other Azerbaijani activists. The main goal of the international organization is to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in high-risk countries, support human rights defenders and prepare annual reports on the human rights situation around the world, according to a press release accompanying the IAHHR statement.
“Ten years ago, at the height of repression in Azerbaijan, we founded our human rights association in Belgium. It included activists and journalists from both Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani political emigrants in Belgium. Our goal was to monitor the human rights situation both in Azerbaijan and in other countries. problem countries. In 2020, I myself ended up behind bars in Azerbaijan on a completely far-fetched and politically motivated case. Upon release, I resumed my human rights work, including with our international association. We are now busy drawing international attention to the new wave of repression in Azerbaijan ", President of the IAHR Elchin Mamed told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
The defense of Hasanli and Vagifgizi received information about the date of consideration of appeals against their arrests. "The appeal against the arrest of Ulvi Hasanli will be considered on November 27 in the Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Judge Anar Ibragimov. We will insist on the cancellation of the arrest decision due to the lack of legal grounds for his prosecution," lawyer Hasanli Zibeyda told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent Sadigova .
Vagifgyzy's complaint will be considered in the same court on November 27 by a panel of judges chaired by Judge Gabil Mamedov, Vagifgyzy's lawyer Agil Laij told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent .
He also noted that the defense will seek to have the arrest decision overturned. “There is no evidence against Sevinj Vagifgyzy of committing the crime charged against her,” the lawyer explained.
Let us remind you that the international network of journalists Forbidden Stories condemned the criminal prosecution of Abzas Media employees and stated that they would continue the corruption investigation they had begun. Human rights organizations Freedom Now and Human Rights Watch called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release the journalists.
On November 24, about 30 Azerbaijani journalists and human rights activists in a joint statement called for stopping the persecution of Abzas Media executives and to investigate information about pressure on the director of the publication. They also expressed doubt about the version of the ownership of the money found in the office of the publication. The search took place “under the full control of the police,” and the origin of this amount is unknown , and in addition, the storage of 40 thousand euros in the editorial office of the publication “defies reasonable explanation,” the authors of the statement indicated.
On November 25, EU Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore expressed concern about the pressure on Abzas Media and called on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop the persecution of journalists.
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Posted by badanov 2023-11-27 00:00||
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