Azerbaijan: the unjust trial of Sevinj Vagifgizi and the journalists of Abzas Media
The hearing scheduled for 21 January in the trial against the investigative outlet Abzas Media will unfold as repression and injustice proliferate in Azerbaijan. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demands that the authorities immediately release the journalists and urges international partners of the regime to condition their cooperation on halting the misuse of the justice system as a tool to silence the press.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, 21 January, a new hearing will begin in the arbitrary trial against the editor-in-chief of Azerbaijani news site Abzas Media Sevinj Vagif gizi Abbasova, known as Sevinj Vagifgizi, and five of her colleagues. All defendants plead not guilty to the eight blatantly unfounded charges against them, including "foreign currency smuggling". According to the defence lawyers, the prosecution has presented no tangible evidence. The journalists face up to 12 years in prison.
At the preliminary hearing on 17 December 2024, reporters attempting to cover the trial were denied access to the courtroom, allegedly due to lack of space although the courtroom was filled with individuals unrelated to the case. Legitimate defence requests — including calls for further investigation, access to video recordings in investigative case files, and replacing provisional detention with house arrest — were rejected, highlighting the arbitrary nature of the proceedings.
The abuse of the judiciary
What’s more, two of the three judges handling the case were the subject of investigations published by Abzas Media that exposed their dependence on political authorities. One judge, Rasim Sadikhov, participated in the politically motivated conviction of a human rights defender, as determined by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2018.
“The persecution of Sevinj Vagifgizi and her colleagues, known for their investigations into high-level state corruption, illustrates the authoritarian tendencies of Ilham Aliyev's regime. These prosecutions are part of a broader strategy to discredit and neutralise independent media like Abzas Media, which challenge the regime by exposing abuses of power. RSF demands their immediate release and calls on Azerbaijan's international partners, particularly the European Union, to condition their cooperation with the country on its concrete progress in press freedom.
Sevinj Vagifgizi was arrested by police at Baku Airport upon her return from Istanbul on 21 November 2023. Fully aware she would be detained, the Abzas Media editor-in-chief returned to Azerbaijan. Her pretrial detention has been repeatedly extended, as have the detentions of her colleagues. She has endured horrific conditions for over a year: overcrowded and unventilated cells, threats, psychological abuse, and violations of her rights as a prisoner. Visits and phone calls with her family were only permitted after a public protest by her mother. Moreover, her family’s bank accounts were frozen for six months.
Persistent harassment
Sevinj Vagifgizi’s detention is the latest chapter in her history of being persecuted which includes threats, police violence, surveillance, and other abuses. Detained several times over her career, she was subjected to a five-year travel ban in 2015, which the ECHR ruled illegal in May 2020.
The arrest of Abzas Media’s journalists marks a new wave of repression. At least 20 independent media professionals are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, victims of a judicial system and prison administration tightly controlled by the Aliyev clan. The recent imprisonment of Toplum TV journalist Farid Ismailov on 17 January and the interrogation of Voice of America journalist Ulviyya Guliyeva the day before signal grim prospects for the future of the country’s independent media.
