Court keeps Nargiz Absalamova in custody

On 15 May, the Khatai district court of Baku did not satisfy the petition to transfer journalist Nargiz Absalamova to house arrest.  She was arrested on 1 December 2023 in the "Abzas Media case".

Lawyer Rovshana Rahimova told Turan that the journalist denied the charges in court and said there were no grounds for detention.

Absalamova told Turan that she was on a journalism internship programme at "Abzas Media", which is required for admission to a master's degree programme.

According to the journalist, her father suffers from diabetes and her arrest had a bad effect on his health.

On the other hand, after Absalamova's arrest she was investigated only once and therefore her detention is unjustified.

Nevertheless, the court did not grant the petition and the decision will be appealed.

The defence lawyer pointed out that Article 5 (right to liberty and security of person), Article 6 (right to a fair trial) and Article 18 (limits on the use of restrictions on rights) of the European Convention were violated in relation to Absalamova.

* Recall that since 20 November 2023, six journalists and media workers of ‘Abzas Media’ had been arrested on false charges (smuggling).

Note that international media protection organisations have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release the detained journalists and stop pressure on the media.

Absalamova was arrested on 1 December.--