Since November 2023, Azerbaijan has jailed nearly 30 journalists and media workers in an unprecedented crackdown on independent media. Nine of them are women — from Abzas Media, Meydan TV, and freelance journalism. They are charged with fabricated financial crimes for doing their jobs: exposing corruption in the highest levels of power.
Three have been sentenced to 8–9 years in prison. Six more are on trial, facing up to 12 years. They report beatings, sexual violence, denial of medical care, and inhumane conditions in detention. Azerbaijan ranks 167th out of 180 countries on RSF's 2025 Press Freedom Index.
What the government fears is exactly what we’re trying to protect: the truth.— Sevinj Vagifgizi, Abzas Media Editor-in-Chief, sentenced to 9 years
9 journalists arrested. 0 answers.
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Meet the Journalists →Explore
Navigate the full project to learn about the journalists, the crackdown, their words, and how you can help.
Meet the nine women journalists imprisoned for independent reporting. Read their profiles and follow their cases.
Read their profiles →Timeline of events, detention statistics, prison conditions, and legal case details since November 2023.
See the timeline →Court statements, prison letters, and pre-arrest messages. Updates on their cases and the international coalition.
Read their letters →Write to authorities, share their stories, send a letter to prison, and find ways to get involved.
Get involved →Watch
Real footage — their courage, their arrests, and the world's response.
Our Mission
Court statements, prison letters, and pre-arrest messages — archived and protected against erasure.
Centralizing condemnations from RSF, Amnesty International, the EU Parliament, and 10+ global organizations.
Tools to write to authorities, contact embassies, and demand the immediate release of all nine journalists.
Voices of Courage is an independent advocacy platform created to document and amplify the stories of nine Azerbaijani women journalists imprisoned for practicing independent journalism. Built by concerned citizens and press freedom advocates for the international audience.
This is not affiliated with any government, political party, or media organization. It is a grassroots advocacy effort built on the belief that silence is complicity.
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