On May 25, the Khatai District Court of Baku considered a motion to extend the pretrial detention of journalist Nargiz Absalamova, arrested in the Abzas Media case.
According to lawyer Rovshana Ragimova, the court satisfied the request and decided to extend the journalist’s arrest for another 22 days – until June 20. Thus, the total period of Absalamova’s pre-trial detention will reach 6 months 21 days, the lawyer added.
The journalist protested against the unjustified extension of her arrest. She indicated that no serious investigative actions were taken against her after her arrest. Only a handwriting examination was ordered and its conclusion was already ready.
The defense also pointed out that there were no legal grounds for keeping the journalist in custody.
An appeal will be filed against the court's decision, noted lawyer Ragimova.
According to her, the journalist also complained about the conditions of detention in the courthouse.
"Each time in the court building, Nargiz Absalamova is kept for hours in a small, dark room smelling of cigarettes, which causes her anxiety. We will make a separate complaint to the relevant authorities in this regard," the lawyer said.
* Recall that since 20 November 2023, six journalists and media workers of "Abzas Media" have been arrested on charges of "currency smuggling". They denied the charges and linked the criminal case to journalistic investigations into corruption published by "Abzas Media".
Note that the international media protection organisations called on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release the detained journalists and to stop the media pressure.
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