The Charges
Legal Case Explainer
All nine women face fabricated charges under Azerbaijan's Criminal Code. Here is how the state apparatus manufactures cases against journalists.
Sentenced
The Abzas Media Case
Sevinj Vagifgizi · Nargiz Absalamova · Elnara Gasimova
Verdict (20 June 2025): Sevinj — 9 years. Nargiz & Elnara — 8 years each.
Appeal (9 Sep 2025): All sentences upheld. Journalists recited poetry as the ruling was read.
Evidence: Police claim to have found €40,000 in cash during the Abzas office raid. No credible chain of custody. Multiple international observers describe charges as entirely fabricated.
On Trial
The Meydan TV Case
Aynur Elgunesh · Aytaj Ahmadova · Aysel Umudova · Khayala Aghayeva · Fatima Movlamli · Ulviyya Ali
Trial began: 12 December 2025 at Baku Court of Grave Crimes
Max sentence: Up to 12 years imprisonment
Trial conditions: Defendants in glass cages, microphones cut off, motions rejected, family visits banned
Step 1: Raid offices. Step 2: “Witness” summons turns into arrest. Step 3: Plant cash as evidence. Step 4: Add charges until max sentence reaches 12 years. Step 5: Deny independent legal defense. Azerbaijan has perfected this template.
Azerbaijan's media law requires journalists to register with a state body and grants authorities sweeping power to shut down outlets. The law effectively criminalizes independent reporting and was used to justify the Abzas and Meydan TV raids.
Azerbaijan has been found guilty by the European Court of Human Rights in dozens of cases involving politically motivated detention. Compliance with ECHR rulings remains minimal — the state pays fines but continues the same practices.
The charges violate Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of expression), Article 19 of the ICCPR, and OSCE media freedom commitments Azerbaijan has signed. The Council of Europe Platform has flagged all cases.