“The General Prosecutor’s Office should investigate what Sevinj Vagifgiz said” |

The General Prosecutor’s Office says that the court should address them

On June 12, the editor-in-chief of “AbzasMedia” Sevinj Vagifqizi (Abbasova) again voiced in the court that the convicts were subjected to pressure in the Baku Pretrial Detention Center.

The journalist said that because of this, he was banned from talking to his family by phone.

Sevinj Vagifqizi, who emphasized that the right to telephone calls was illegally restricted, said that women are being stripped and threatened to be dragged by the hair in the Baku Pretrial Detention Center.

He asked Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva to urgently come to the detention center in Kurdakhani and take an interest in the situation.

A few days before the trial, on June 10, Sevinj Vagifqizi told her mother on the phone that the women were being harassed.

He stated that the deputy chiefs of the Baku Detention Center, who put women under pressure, are people named Jeyhun and Ahad.

According to his mother, after these statements, the journalist’s speech was interrupted and restrictions were imposed on him.

Meydan TV contacted the press service of the Human Rights Ombudsman Apparatus regarding the ban imposed on the journalist.

The head of the service, Emil Shahzade, said that the request will be answered within 7 working days.

According to the legislation, the prosecutor’s office must start investigations related to criminal information published in the media.

But has the prosecutor’s office reacted to the information spread by Sevinj Vagifgız about torture against women, has any investigation been started?

The spokesman of the press service of the General Prosecutor’s Office, Saleh Hajiyev, told Meydan TV that they are aware of what Sevinj Vagifgiz said in court on June 12 and that the telephone connection with her family was cut off.

“But I can’t say anything for sure, because the court judge needs to apply to the prosecutor’s office.”he said.

Lawyer, co-founder of “Defence Line” organization Rufat Safarov told Meydan TV that the information about torture in the mass media gives the prosecutor’s office a basis for investigation.

According to him, this is directly indicated in criminal procedural legislation:

“The point is that Sevinj Vagifqizi spoke about this in court and the Ombudsman asked Sabina Aliyeva to come to the detention center.”.

According to Safarov, the prosecutor’s office in Azerbaijan is a legal force in the hands of the political authorities instead of monitoring the honest implementation of laws:

“Sevinj Vagifgizi is also a political prisoner, and such statements and complaints of other political prisoners, like him, are not properly investigated or considered by the prosecutor’s office. However, this is the duty of the prosecutor’s office.”.

Arrests in the “AbzasMedia” case, known for its corruption investigations, began on November 20.

First, the site’s director Ulvi Hasanli, deputy director Mahammad Kekalov, and editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifqizi were arrested.

Later, arrests continued with investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova.

They are also charged with Article 206.3.2 (smuggling by a group of persons) of the Criminal Code.

The sanction of this article provides for imprisonment from 5 to 8 years.

After Ulvi Hasanli was detained on November 20, the office of “AbzasMedia” 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.

None of the named journalists plead not guilty, “AbzasMedia” said that a number of officials, including members of the President’s family, were punished for investigations related to business and corruption.

After “AbzasMedia”, the managers and employees of “Kanal 13” internet channel, “Toplum TV” news portal and internet television of the same name, “meclis.info” website, which investigates the activities of the Milli Majlis and deputies, were also arrested on charges of smuggling.

It is alleged that these media organizations received grants from foreign organizations and smuggled those funds into the country.

However, the journalists deny this accusation and state that they were arrested without any evidence related to smuggling.

They stated that the purpose of these arrests is to silence media organizations that investigate corruption and official arbitrariness in the country and inform the public.