Lawyers: Two journalists investigating corruption arrested in Azerbaijan
According to their lawyers, two journalists investigating corruption in politics were arrested in Azerbaijan on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Sevinsh Vagifgysi, editor-in-chief of the news website Absas Media, was arrested on her return from Europe and her home was searched, her lawyer Elchin Sadygov told the AFP news agency.
Absas Media director Ulwi Hasanli had already been arrested on Monday and "charged with currency smuggling", according to his lawyer Sibeyda Sadygova.
Hasanli had "pleaded not guilty and rejected the charges as groundless", said Sadygova. According to her, the journalist risks up to twelve years in prison. Absas Media reported that Hasanli is being subjected to "inhumane treatment" in prison. The human rights organization Amnesty International expressed concern at reports that Hasanli was being beaten or otherwise mistreated in prison.
His detention "fits a pattern in which critics are arrested by the authorities in order to suppress their dissent," said Natalia Nosadze, South Caucasus expert at the organization. Hasanli had "courageously exposed allegations of corruption at the highest level in Azerbaijan and reported on critical issues of public interest". The journalist had already been repeatedly harassed by the government in the past.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has ruled the country with an iron fist since he succeeded his father Heydar in office in 2003. The country has long been criticized for its poor democratic record.
- Amnesty International has urged the Azerbaijani authorities to grant amnesty to Ulwi Hasanli, the Absas Media director who is currently in prison on allegations of currency smuggling, citing concerns about his treatment and the potential length of his sentence.
- Two Amnesty International representatives visited Hasanli in prison, where they reported witnessing signs of physical abuse, and expressed their concern about the impact of his imprisonment on the freedom of speech and investigation of corruption in Azerbaijan.
- The arrest of the two journalists and the allegations of mistreatment in prison have sparked international outcry, with organizations like Amnesty International calling for an immediate end to the persecution of journalists in Azerbaijan and for the implementation of international human rights laws.
Source: www.ntv.de
