As the U.S. State Department has repeatedly declared, journalism is not a crime. But the increasing number of journalists arrested in recent weeks in Azerbaijan show that Azerbaijani authorities do not agree.
Starting in November with the arrest of the leadership of Abzas Media, an independent anti-corruption media outlet, Azerbaijani authorities have escalated their repression of voices critical of the government.
First to be detained in November was director of Abzas Media Ulvi Hasanli. Shortly after, its chief editor Sevinj Vagifgizi, deputy director Mahammad Kekalov, and journalist Nargiz Absalamova were also arrested. They have been accused of what international human rights organizations say are spurious, politically-motivated crimes because of Abzas Media’s investigative reporting on high-level government corruption. All are being held in prolonged pre-trial detention.
Also recently arrested are Aziz Orujov, founder of the independent online TV channel Kanal 13 and the channel’s anchor Rufat Muradli.
It is not only journalists who are the victims of the government’s repression. Gubad Ibadoghlu, an economist and chair of the opposition Azerbaijan Democracy and Welfare Party, was arrested in July, and prominent opposition leader and government critic, Tofig Yagublu, was detained in mid-December.
At a press briefing, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller called the recent trend of detaining journalists, civil society activists, and opposition figures in Azerbaijan “deeply troubling.”
“Over a dozen such figures have been detained in just the last month. It’s unacceptable,” declared Spokesperson Miller. “We will continue to urge the Azerbaijani Government to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, including those exercising freedom of expression, as well as call for the expeditious release of all those who have been unjustly detained.”
