The National Council called the arrest of journalists a wave of repression – News | Latest News | Latest News
“The reason is the investigations into the corrupt practices of high circles”
The National Council of Democratic Forces (NDF) called the raid on “AbzasMedia” and the arrest of journalists Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifgizy a new wave of repression by the authorities.
This was stated in the statement issued by the National Security Council on November 22.
The National Council declares that this act of repression, which is calculated to eliminate “Abzas Media” as an independent media organization, is the investigations that have been highlighted about the corrupt practices in the high circles of the government:
“The Aliyev regime, which loots the wealth of the people with more and more narrow-mindedness, also wants no one to talk about this looting. The authorities are not interested in the presence of social and political institutions and activists in the country, who are outside their control, who criticize and expose the robber, anti-people policies. For this reason, it applies continuous repression against independent and critical activists and institutions.”
Recalling the arrests of the chairman of the National Council ADR party, professor Gubad Ibadoglu, economist scientist and businessman, ex-MP Nazim Beydamirli, independent politician Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, and the couriers demanding workers’ wages, he notes that this new wave of arrests has not bypassed the ADP and currently the number of political prisoners of the party reached 9 people again.
The statement states that the new wave of arrests is taking place in parallel with the change in the country’s foreign policy:
“Azerbaijan is being further distanced from the democratic Western world under various pretexts and is being brought closer to the invading and authoritarian Russia. By abusing the fact that our army freed Karabakh from occupation and put an end to Armenian separatism there, Ilham Aliyev’s government made a plan to turn the geopolitical direction of the country unambiguously towards Russia, and in parallel to this, to completely silence the democratic community in the country – the free press, the opposition, and social activists. Currently, free media and independent journalists, civil society activists, oppositionists are fighting for freedom and justice in extremely difficult and risky conditions in Azerbaijan. He should express his opposition to the anti-people policy carried out by all possible means, he should be able to support those who fight for justice and rights”.
Ulvi Hasanli was arrested on November 20 around 5 o’clock in the morning while getting into a taxi in front of his house.
Sevinj Vagifqizi was detained at Baku airport at around 2 o’clock in the night on November 21 when the plane landed.
On November 20, a search was conducted in the office of “Abzas Media” and Ulvi Hasanli’s house, and immediately after the arrest of Sevinj Vagifgzi, at around 3 o’clock in the morning, the apartment where he lives was searched.
It was claimed that 40,000 euros were found in the site’s office.
Ulvi Hasanli said that there was no money there, that 40,000 euros were deposited in the office by those who claimed to have found it.
Both Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifgizin were charged with Article 206.3.2 (smuggling by a group of people) of the Criminal Code.
They said that this accusation is absurd, that they were arrested because of the activities of “Abzas Media”, specifically, corruption investigations.
This article provides for imprisonment from 5 to 8 years.