Abzas Media

On International Women’s Day, nine women in Azerbaijan remain imprisoned for their professional work as journalists, including the Editor-in-Chief and two reporters of Abzas Media.

Azerbaijan is among the countries that have imprisoned the highest number of women journalists.

#FreeThemAll

Sevinj Vagifgizi has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Anna Politkovskaya–Arman Soldin Courage in Journalism Award. shorturl.at/SyOuI

Activists at COP30 demanded the release of Abzas Media’s imprisoned journalist Nargiz Absalamova and others. #Freethemall #FreeAbzas #PressFreedom #COP30 #Amnesty

Abzas Media journalist Nargiz Absalamova, 27, who was arrested two years ago and is serving an eight-year prison sentence, has been honoured with the Free Media Award.
abzas.info/en/2025/11/i...

#FreeMediaAward #PressFreedom #AbzasMedia #NargizAbsalamova #FreeAbzas #FreeNargiz

Family of jailed journalist Sevinj Vagifgizi say they were abused by staff at Lankaran prison during an 18 Oct visit.
Her mother and sister report being searched by force, and say her right to a private meeting was violated.

shorturl.at/CMSyV

#Azerbaijan #PressFreedom #AbzasMedia #SevinjVagifgizi

Abzas Media women journalists say they are being held in an information blockade at the Lankaran Penitentiary Complex.

They report unfulfilled promises, health risks from smoking cells, and censorship of independent media materials.

shorturl.at/qtH47

#Azerbaijan #PressFreedom #AbzasMedia

#Azerbaijan: Yesterday, out of nowhere, detained Abzas Media journalists Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova & Elnara Gasimova were suddenly transferred to a prison located several hours away from the capital and their relatives. RSF condemns this extra punitive measure and calls for their release.

Abzas Media’s jailed journalists – editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi and reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova – have been transferred from the Baku Investigative Detention Centre to a penitentiary facility in Lankaran, about three hours’ drive (over 250 km) from the capital.
#FreeAbzas

The jailed director of Abzas Media, Ulvi Hasanli, has sent a letter from prison describing what he says are arbitrary transfers, the theft of his personal belongings, unfair court rulings, and systematic torture of inmates.
shorturl.at/DbACW
#FreeAbzas #AbzasMedia #UlviHasanli #Journalismisnotacrime

The jailed director of Abzas Media, Ulvi Hasanli, has sent a letter from prison describing what he says are arbitrary transfers, the theft of his personal belongings, unfair court rulings, and systematic torture of inmates.
shorturl.at/DbACW
#FreeAbzas #AbzasMedia #UlviHasanli #Journalismisnotacrime

An Azerbaijani court has upheld harsh sentences against @abzasmedia.bsky.social staff on charges that have been widely condemned as politically motivated & an attack on independent journalism: abzas.info/en/2025/9/az...

Jusqu’à neuf ans de prison pour Sevinj Vagifgizi et ses collègues : RSF dénonce des condamnations iniques en Azerbaïdjan Ce 20 juin, sept journalistes azerbaïdjanais dont la rédactrice en chef Sevinj Vagifgizi, ont été condamnés à des peines allant de sept à neuf ans de prison pour des accusations fallacieuses de “contr...

#Azerbaïdjan : auj, dans le cadre du procès en appel des 7 journalistes arbitrairement condamnés dans l'affaire contre Abzas media, le juge a maintenu les peines initiales allant de 7 ans et demi à 9 ans de prison. RSF dénonce un simulacre de justice honteux et demande leur libération immédiate.

Sept 9: Baku Court of Appeal upheld the “Abzas Media case” verdict. Our journalists raised signs:
“Aliyev, declare your income!”
“Corruption is a crime, journalism is not!”
“Free media cannot be silenced!”
Prison staff answered with violence.
shorturl.at/Z3sfq

#FreeAbzasMedia

We congratulate journalist Nargiz Absalamova on winning the prestigious Free Media Award from @frittord.bsky.social and @zeit.de 🫶

Absalamova and her colleagues at @abzasmedia.bsky.social deserve this award for their unwavering dedication #FreeThemAll

🔗 free-anar.site/political-pr...

Abzas Media journalist Nargiz Absalamova has won the Free Media Award 2025. She’s honoured for courageous reporting on corruption, pollution & social rights, even as she serves an 8-year prison sentence on charges denounced as fabricated.
shorturl.at/9abCt

#PressFreedom #FreeNargiz #AbzasMedia

At the September 5 appeal hearing in Baku, reporter Nargiz Absalamova, 26, sentenced to 8 years in prison in June 2025, denounced the proceedings as “nothing but a show trial” and revealed that even her bank card with just 13 cents had been frozen.
abzas.info/en/2025/9/de...
#JournalismIsNotACrime

Court rejected journalist Sevinj Vagifgizi’s motion on conditions at Baku Pretrial Detention. She said inmates face overcrowding, poor ventilation, limited water, and no heating/cooling, but all her requests, including an on-site inspection, were dismissed.
shorturl.at/RDWGh

#SevincVagifgizi

Director of @abzasmedia.bsky.social, human rights defender and journalist Ulvi Hasanli is shortlisted for the @pace.coe.int 2025 Václav Havel Prize, alongside journalists Mzia Amaghlobeli and Maksym Butkevych 🫶

🔗 More about Ulvi: free-anar.site/political-pr...

#FreeAbzas #ClimateOfRepression

Georgia's imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder of Batumelebi & Netgazeti, has been shortlisted for the 2025 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. She is joined by Ukrainian journalist Maksym Butkevych and Azerbaijani journalist Ulvi Hasanli. The winner will be announced on 29 Sept.
#FreeMzia

Abzas Media’s jailed director Ulvi Hasanli has been shortlisted for the 2025 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.
The winner will be announced on 29 September in Strasbourg.
#PressFreedom #HumanRights #AbzasMedia #UlviHasanli #VáclavHavelHumanRightsPrize

Azerbaijan: Up to nine years in prison for Sevinj Vagifgizi and her colleagues, RSF condemns outrageous sentencing On 20 June, seven Azerbaijani journalists, including editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi, were sentenced to between seven and nine years in prison on trumped-up charges of “smuggling foreign currency” in...

#Azerbaijan: yesterday, on the very first day of their appeal trial, journalists Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova once again saw their rights of defense violated. They were notably prevented from hearing the proceedings. This must stop and the journalists must be released.

At the Baku Appeal Court hearing in the Abzas Media case, female journalists were pushed and shoved by guards after protesting that they couldn’t hear the proceedings.
Judge Zafar Ahmadov rejected all defence motions.
Next hearing: 26 Aug.

shorturl.at/ztl0M

#PressFreedom #AbzasMedia #HumanRights

Azerbaijan’s imprisoned journalists describe conditions during hunger strike Abzas Media editor-in-chief Sevinj Abbasova and journalist Elnara Gasimova have written letters from prison about their experiences

Imprisoned Abzas Media editor Sevinj Abbasova and journalist Elnara Gasimova have described harsh prison conditions during a five-day hunger strike in support of director Ulvi Hasanli.

oc-media.org/azerbaijans-...

Ulvi Hasanli, jailed director of “Abzas Media,” has ended his 17‑day hunger strike. He stopped after considering concerns for his relatives’ health and distress over his condition. The scheduling of an appeal hearing in the “Abzas Media” case for 12 August also influenced his decision. #AbzasMedia

Azerbaijan: ECPMF Condemns Inhumane Treatment of Abzas Media ECPMF demands humane treatment for imprisoned Abzas Media journalists in Azerbaijan amid reports of abuse and denial of medical care.

Journalists from @abzasmedia.bsky.social are facing abuse, isolation, and denied medical care in Azerbaijani prisons.

ECPMF joins global press freedom organisations demanding justice and compliance with human rights obligations.
www.ecpmf.eu/statement-on...

Abzas Media’s imprisoned women journalists-Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova ended their hunger strike on July 28 (Day 7) due to serious concerns for their parents’ health.
abzas.org/en/2025/7/ab...
#FreeAbzasMedia #PressFreedom #Azerbaijan #JournalistsNotCriminals #AbzasMedia

"Just because we do critical journalism doesn't mean the government can tell us we don’t belong here:" Detained Journalist Sevinj Vagifgizi’s warning cry In a letter addressed to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Sevinj Vagifgizi - the editor-in-chief of the independent media outlet Abzas Media who was sentenced to nine years in prison on fabricated cha...

#Azerbaijan: RSF condemns a defamatory video posted on July 23 by pro-government media targeting, among others, independent outlets Meydan TV & Abzas, whose 13 journalists remain detained. This harassment must end. Azerbaijan must free all 25 detained journalists. 👇
rsf.org/en/just-beca...

Statement on the ongoing mistreatment of Abzas Media journalists in Azerbaijan - Justice for Journalists We, the undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organisations, express our deep concern at the escalating mistreatment of imprisoned Azerbaijani journalists from Abzas Media,...

#Azerbaijan: RSF stands alongside eight international organisations in condemning the inhumane treatment of several Abzas Media journalists in detention, including director Ulvi Hasanli and editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi. They must be treated with dignity — and released. jfj.fund/statement-on...

Director Ulvi Hasanli (since July 20) and editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgızı (since July 22) have both reported serious health issues. Hasanli reportedly fainted but wasn’t examined by a doctor for 5 days.
abzas.org/en/2025/7/ja...

#Azerbaijan #PressFreedom #AbzasMedia #Journalism

On the fourth day of their hunger strike, three female journalists from “Abzas Media” held in Baku Pretrial Detention Center have released a public statement.

Read their message: abzas.org/en/2025/7/pu...

#FreeAbzas #AbzasMedia #SevinjVagifgizi #NargizAbsalamova #ElnaraGasimova #HumanRights