Hafiz Babali Continues Legal Battle with "Iki Sahil" Newspaper

On September 11, the Baku Court of Appeal heard the appeal of Hafiz Babali, the economics editor at Turan News Agency, against the newspaper "Iki Sahil." The appeal was filed in response to a May 13 decision by the Khatai District Court, which rejected Babali's lawsuit against the newspaper. The lawsuit was initiated due to unfounded accusations and defamation published by the newspaper in an article dated December 28, 2023. The article claimed that "Hafiz Babali had established contacts with foreign funds and conducted investigations and prepared articles on their behalf."

Babali's lawsuit stated that his investigations were part of his journalistic work and not commissioned by foreign donors. Additionally, no complaints had been made regarding the published articles, and the information in these articles had not been disproven by any administrative body or challenged in court.

However, the Appeals Court did not conduct an objective investigation and rejected the appeal. Babali now plans to file a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court.

Babali is currently under arrest in the “Abzas Media” case and denies the charges of smuggling against him. Human rights activists have declared him a political prisoner, and international organizations have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release all individuals involved in the “Abzas Media” case.