The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the authorities to release the arrested journalists of Abzas Media.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly criticized an Azerbaijani court's decision on Friday to detain journalist Nargiz Absalamova for three months, urging the authorities to release her and her fellow journalists from Abzas Media.

CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in New York expressed condemnation, stating, "The continued arrests of Abzas Media journalists are unacceptable and only show how Azerbaijani authorities are unable to forgive the outlet for its bold anticorruption coverage." De la Serna emphasized that journalists should not face prosecution as retaliation for their crucial public interest reporting and should not be used as pawns in diplomatic disputes.

The Khatai District Court in Baku ordered Absalamova's detention on December 1 on charges of conspiring to bring money into the country unlawfully. She is the fourth Abzas Media member held in pretrial detention since the police claimed to have found 40,000 euros during a raid on the outlet's office on November 20.