Journalists were detained for charges of illegal smuggling of money, but also money laundering or illegal business.
The Azerbaijan court sentenced seven journalists and employees of significant investigative media to prison punishments within nine years on Friday. According to AFP, TASR informs that this development is part of extensive intervention against the freedom of the press in this country.
Journalists and employees of the United States of Funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Freedom (RFE/RL), as well as online media ABZAS Media and Turan, were detained for charges of illegal smuggling money across borders, money laundering, tax evasion and illegal business.
The defenders of the journalists concerned and the rights groups have sentenced judgments aimed against several independent intelligence media in Azerbaijan as politically motivated.
They will serve nine years in prison
RFE/RL journalist and economist Farid Mehralizada was sentenced to a nine -year prison sentence, writes AFP. The director of the portal Abzas Media Ulvi Hasanli and his editor -in -chief Sevinc Vagifgyzi, as well as the investigative journalist Turan Hafiz Babaly, also received the same penalties.
Reporters Nargiz Absalamovová and Elnara Gasimova received eight years, and translator Mohammad Kekalov seven and a half years behind bars.
According to the advocates in this case, there was no credible evidence and was largely based only on the testimony of Kemalov, who later withdrew her in court, saying that he testified under pressure.
They have described the accusations as false
RFE/RL described allegations against Mehralizad as “false” and condemned the verdict. Amnesty International (AI) human rights organization described the arrest of journalists in the country as “escalating intervention”, quoting AFP.
According to the organization, reporters without borders have been imprisoned by Azerbaijan since 2023 29 journalists and media employees.
Since 2003, this former Soviet Republic, President Ilham Aliyev, who has been accused of suppressing opposition media and independent journalism, has been the head of this former Soviet Republic since 2003.
