Committee to Protect Journalists Condemns Detention of Azerbaijani Investigative Journalist Hafiz Babali

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly condemned the detention of investigative journalist Hafiz Babali and called for the immediate release of him and other journalists currently held by Azerbaijani authorities.

Hafiz Babali, an investigative journalist and economics editor at the independent news agency Turan, was detained by police in Baku on December 13. He was taken to his home in Sumgayit, where a search was conducted, and his computer, cell phone, and documents were confiscated. Subsequently, Babali was transported to the Baku Police Department.

The CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, Gulnoza Said, stated, “By arresting widely respected investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, Azerbaijani authorities are only confirming that their real aim in targeting Abzas Media is to silence its uncompromising reporting on official corruption allegations.” The CPJ urged the immediate release of Babali and other journalists unjustly detained, emphasizing the need to halt the ongoing reprisals against independent press in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani government asserted that Babali's arrest is linked to criminal investigations into the anti-corruption investigative outlet Abzas Media. However, the specific charges were not disclosed. Since November 20, authorities have ordered the pretrial detention of four members of Abzas Media, including director Ulvi Hasanli and chief editor Sevinj Vagifgizi, on charges of conspiring to bring money into the country unlawfully. The government alleges that Western embassies and donors illegally funded the outlet. If convicted, each could face up to eight years in prison under Article 206.3.2 of Azerbaijan’s criminal code.

Hafiz Babali had been previously questioned on November 28, with his bank accounts frozen in connection with the Abzas Media case. He maintained that while he published investigations on Abzas Media’s website, he had no knowledge of the outlet’s finances.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Babali suggested that a recent Abzas Media corruption report targeting the head of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service might have triggered the authorities' crackdown on the outlet.

Babali is the seventh journalist detained in Azerbaijan in the past month in apparent retaliation for their journalistic work. CPJ is actively investigating the cases of three other journalists arrested on extortion charges since December 8 to ascertain if these detentions are related to their professional activities.

CPJ has reached out to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service of Azerbaijan for comments but has not received immediate replies. The global press freedom watchdog continues to advocate for the protection of journalists and the preservation of freedom of the press in Azerbaijan.