BAKU, Azerbaijan — In a stark escalation of Azerbaijan’s crackdown on independent media, seven journalists — including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Farid Mehralizada — have been convicted and sentenced to prison on charges widely condemned as politically motivated.
The verdicts were handed down Friday, marking what human rights organizations call a “sham trial” aimed at silencing dissent and investigative journalism.
Mehralizada, an RFE/RL journalist and economist, was sentenced to nine years in prison, despite his insistence that he had no affiliation with Abzas Media, the independent outlet at the center of the case.
Others sentenced include:
Ulvi Hasanli (Director, Abzas Media) – 9 years
Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqizi) (Chief Editor) – 9 years
Hafiz Babali (Investigative Reporter) – 9 years
Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova – 8 years each
Mahammad Kekelov (Deputy Director) – 7.5 years
All were charged with illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, smuggling, and document forgery, following their arrests between November 2023 and May 2024. Authorities allege €40,000 was found at Abzas Media’s office, claiming it was part of a foreign currency smuggling operation — a charge the journalists deny.
In his final court statement, Mehralizada said:
“The truth is that I have not committed any crime… Unfortunately, journalism in our country today is almost equated with terrorism.”
International watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the verdicts as “outrageous”, calling for immediate releases and denouncing the charges as fabricated.
“The Azerbaijani authorities may imprison journalists, but they cannot imprison the truth,” said Anne Bocandé, RSF’s editorial director.
RFE/RL President Stephen Capus echoed the call, stating:
“Farid has already lost a great deal… It’s time to reunite him with his family.”
The case is part of a broader pattern of suppression. In 2024, Azerbaijani authorities raided Toplum TV, arrested journalists from Meydan TV, and revoked credentials for Voice of America, Bloomberg, and the BBC.
In a January 2025 report, Amnesty International declared that Azerbaijani authorities have “systematically silenced independent media”, using fabricated charges to target press freedom.
