Representatives of the Ombudswoman visited Hafiz Babaly

On March 28, representatives of the Ombudswoman visited  Hafiuz Babaly, the editor of the economic news department of the agency, who was arrested in the “Abzas Media case”, in the Baku pre-trial detention center-1.

According to Babala’s relatives, The journalist himself had previously appealed to the Ombudswoman and complained about unjustified criminal prosecution on false charges,  according to Babaly’s relatives.

In addition, Babaly (a third-group disabled person) pointed to health problems (with vision). In particular, he complained about the ban on sunglasses in jail, which he needed because of vision problems. Another complaint concerned unofficial bans on sending statements by a journalist.

The press service of the office of the Ombudswoman confirmed that members of the National Preventive Group under the Ombudsman  visited Babaly on March 28. “Members of the National Preventive Group visited and listened to Hafiz Babaly based on his appeal,” the press service said.

* The editor of the “economic news” department of the agency, Hafiz Babaly, was detained on December 13.  He was charged with “smuggling foreign currency.” By a court decision, he was subjected to pre-trial detention for a period of three months. Babaly was involved in the “Abzas Media case”. Human rights activists recognized Babaly as a political prisoner.