On June 20, the Court of Grave Crimes in Azerbaijan's capital Baku handed down severe prison sentences to a team of independent journalists from Abzas Media, an outlet known for its hard-hitting investigative journalism. Days later, the same court convicted Bahruz Samadov, an outspoken government critic and peace activist. These verdicts fit a pattern of politically motivated arrests and prosecutions pursued by authorities intent on snuffing out independent activism.

In the Abzas Media case, three of the organization's staff members - its director, Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief, Sevinc Vagifgizi, and investigative reporter, Hafiz Babali - were sentenced to nine years in prison, as was an independent economist, Farid Mehralzadeh, who gave interviews to the outlet. The court sentenced journalists Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova to eight years, while the outlet's deputy director, Mahammad Kekalov, received a seven-and-a-half-year sentence.

All seven were convicted on spurious smuggling and other charges, levied against them in retaliation for their work investigating corruption. The charges stem from Azerbaijan's prohibitive rules on grants, which marginalize civil society and force many groups to suspend work, move abroad, or even shut down.

In another mockery of justice, the court sentenced Bahruz Samadov in a closed-door hearing to 15 years in prison on bogus high treason charges. A researcher and student at Charles University in Prague, Samadov was detained in August 2024 while visiting his ailing grandmother. He vehemently denies the charges, claiming they are retaliation for his academic work and speeches criticizing the Azerbaijani government's human rights violations and its military campaign to regain control over Nagorno Karabakh.

These convictions are part of the Azerbaijani authorities' broader campaign to silence dissent, which intensified around the COP29 climate summit.

Human Rights Watch has documented the government's repeated use of dubious criminal charges, including currency smuggling and treason, to target journalists, civil society activists, and academics. Staff from other independent media outlets, such as Toplum TV and Meydan TV, have also been arrested and are awaiting trial.

Azerbaijani authorities should immediately release all those unjustly imprisoned and end its relentless crackdown on critics. The European Union and Azerbaijan's other international partners should condemn the escalating crackdown, call on the authorities to free journalists and other activists jailed for nothing more than exercising their fundamental rights, and impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for orchestrating and carrying out these gross injustices.

Source: Human Rights Watch