Baku Court of Appeal Postpones Final Decision on "Abzas Media Case"

Baku, Azerbaijan – Another court session on the "Abzas Media case" was held at the Baku Court of Appeal. During the session, presided over by Judge Zafar Ahmadov, the accused, their defense lawyers, and the state prosecutor delivered speeches. The court postponed the announcement of the final verdict until September 9.

In her speech, Gunay Ismayilova, the lawyer for journalist Nargiz Absalamova, stated that there was no evidence to prove her client's guilt and demanded an acquittal for Absalamova.

Nargiz Absalamova then spoke, addressing the ban on her bank accounts and stating that her bank card, which contained only 13 kopecks, was also blocked. Absalamova sharply criticized the situation, saying: "In the case materials, my bank card with 13 kopecks was also blocked. They've stooped to my 13 kopecks. I want to say, yes, we are 13-kopeck smugglers. I wish that one day, courts would be led by judges who make fair decisions, who truly consider law supreme, and who respect themselves. For now, this court is nothing but a game. And you are executing the verdict that was assigned to you."

State prosecutor Ilkin Yusifov, in turn, rejected the claims of the accused and emphasized that both the preliminary and judicial investigations were conducted fairly. He claimed that despite Mahammad Kekalov's retraction of his statements made during the preliminary investigation, their authenticity was proven with evidence. The prosecutor requested that the first-instance court's decision be upheld.

In response to the state prosecutor, Ulvi Hasanli's lawyer, Zibeyda Sadigova, stated that not a single motion filed on behalf of her client, Ulvi Hasanli, and the other accused individuals has been granted since their arrest. She questioned what kind of fair investigation could be discussed in such a situation. Other lawyers also spoke, demanding acquittals for their clients.

At the end of the session, Sevinc Vagifgizi, the editor-in-chief of "Abzas Media," said that no key witnesses who could be considered crucial to the case were brought to court during the judicial investigation, which, she added, further proved that the court was not fair and was merely executing a pre-determined decision. Vagifgizi referenced law enforcement officials saying, "Understand us," and questioned who would understand the prisoners who are arrested for their professional activities, who cannot witness the birth of their child, celebrate their child's next birthday, or their 30th wedding anniversary.

Farid Mehralizade, an economist and journalist for "Radio Liberty" who was arrested in the case, also responded to the state prosecutor's claims. He noted that he was arrested even though there was nothing about him in Mahammad Kekalov's statements. Mehralizade also stressed that half of the witnesses summoned during the judicial investigation did not know him, while the other half said they knew him from the media as an economist, but their statements regarding him were not accepted. Although the case materials claimed that his office was located inside the "Abzas Media" office, Mehralizade stated that he did not know where the office was and had never been there, noting that his requests for antenna data to prove his location were not granted.

It should be recalled that on June 20, 2025, by the decision of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi, investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, Radio Liberty journalist and economist Farid Mehralizade were sentenced to 9 years in prison, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova to 8 years, and deputy director Mahammad Kekalov to 7 years and 6 months. They were found guilty of smuggling and other crimes. The journalists reject the charges, stating that their arrests are politically motivated due to their corruption investigations. Local and international human rights organizations consider these arrests to be politically motivated and call for the journalists' release and the dropping of the charges against them. The preliminary and judicial investigations together lasted for nearly 2 years.