US Senate Resolution Urges Release of Imprisoned Azerbaijani Journalists
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
The United States Senate has made a decision. They have agreed on a resolution that says the government of Azerbaijan should let some journalists out of prison now. This decision was made to go with World Press Freedom Day. The Senate is worried about the journalists in Azerbaijan because the government is using the law to silence people who are saying things they do not like.
The Senate is particularly concerned about Sevinj Vagifgizi and Farid Mehralizade. They are journalists who're in prison in Azerbaijan. The Senate thinks it is very wrong that they are in prison for such a time. The Senate believes that this is an attack on democracy and the government being accountable for what they do.
A while in 2025 the court in Baku gave very harsh sentences to some journalists. Sevinj Vagifgizi and Farid Mehralizade were each given nine years in prison. They were accused of doing things that're not true like smuggling and financial crimes. Other journalists, like Hafiz Babali, Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Qasimova also got prison sentences.
Farid Mehralizade said that in Azerbaijan being a journalist is like being a prisoner. He said the government often accuses journalists of doing things for money so they can hide the fact that they are really being punished for what they say. This is what the latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders says too. They say Azerbaijan is one of the countries for journalists ranking 171st out of 180 countries.
The government of Azerbaijan says these journalists are in prison because they did something and that they allow freedom of the press. The United States Senate, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe do not agree. They think the journalists are in prison because of what they say not because they did anything. The Senate wants the President and the Secretary of State to try harder to help these journalists and make sure they are set free. Now about 30 journalists are still in prison, in Azerbaijan.
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