New York, August 20, 2024—Azerbaijani investigators charged six journalists from anti-corruption investigative outlet Abzas Media with seven new economic crimes in relation to alleged funding from Western donor organizations in recent days.
“Azerbaijani authorities’ move to throw new charges against Abzas Media’s jailed investigative journalists is testament to the vindictive impulse behind their prosecution of an outlet that has boldly exposed senior officials’ corruption,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must drop all charges against Abzas Media staff and immediately release all journalists detained over alleged receipt of Western financial support.”
Police arrested Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli, chief editor Sevinj Vagifgizi, project coordinator Mahammad Kekalov, and reporters Hafiz Babali, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova between November 2023 and January 2024 on currency smuggling charges.
The journalists are among 13 media workers from four independent media outlets charged with currency smuggling related to alleged Western donor funding amid a decline in relations between Azerbaijan and the West.
The new charges are:
- illegal entrepreneurship in relation to a large revenue
- money laundering of a large sum
- money laundering by an organized group
- currency smuggling by an organized group
- tax evasion by an organized group
- document forgery
- use of forged documents
The journalists deny the charges, a representative of Abzas Media told CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. They described the charges as “an attempt to end Abzas Media’s reporting on top-level corruption.”
The charges increased the potential maximum jail time from eight to 12 years, according to Hasanli and Gasimova’s lawyers, Zibeyda Sadygova and Bahruz Bayramov, who spoke to CPJ by messaging app. Bayramov told CPJ he expects the new charges to be extended to the other seven journalists.
CPJ’s email to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan for comment did not receive a reply.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
Committee to Protect Journalists | Radio Free (2024-08-20T14:13:45+00:00) Azerbaijani authorities charge 6 Abzas Media journalists with 7 new offenses. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2024/08/20/azerbaijani-authorities-charge-6-abzas-media-journalists-with-7-new-offenses/
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