Political persecution in Azerbaijan
Recently, the trend of arrests for contraband has increased in Azerbaijan. Today, law enforcement authorities brought the same accusation against the director of Internet TV channel 13.
The second new trend is the seizure of bank accounts not only of the accused, but also of all those involved in the Abzas Media case, as well as their relatives.
A new indictment against the boss of Canal 13.
On December 19, a new accusation was filed against Aziz Orujev, director of the Internet television channel “Channel 13”, arrested twenty days ago for illegal construction of a house. He is now also charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group of persons, by prior conspiracy) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. This was reported by his lawyer Bahruz Bayramov.
“Today a new accusation was filed against him at the police department of Sabail district of Baku city. It is a small amount of money that Anar, Aziz’s brother, sent him from Europe through someone he knows. Aziz Orujev does not accept either the previous accusations or these. He claims that his arrest is linked to his journalistic activities,” the lawyer said.
Under this article, Orujev faces a prison sentence of 7 to 12 years.
Aziz Orujev had already been sentenced in 2017 to 6 years in prison for illegal entrepreneurship. In 2018, the Supreme Court revised the sanction and canceled the charge of illegal entrepreneurship. He was released early.
Five people from the Abzas media outlet were arrested – editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifkyzy’, director Ulvi Hasanly, his deputy Mohammed Kekalov, reporter Nargiz Absalamova and investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly are also accused of smuggling in association with a group of people.
Blocking bank accounts
On December 18, a court hearing was scheduled on the complaint of all those tried in the Abzas Media case and their relatives. They complained about the court’s decision to block all bank accounts not only of the accused in this case, but also of the witnesses and even their relatives, who are not involved in the case at all.
Investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly was not taken to the Baku Court of Appeal where the hearing was held. The other plaintiffs therefore requested that the trial be postponed to another day. The court granted their request and the hearing was postponed until December 20.
Ofelia Magerramova, Sevinj Vagifkyzy’s mother, says she can no longer receive her disability pension because her pension card has been blocked.
“As a disabled person of the second group, I receive a pension of 326 manats (about 190 dollars). Every month, on December 15, I would withdraw money from the ATM. But this time I was unable to withdraw money from my retirement card. My medicine costs 500 manat (about $295). My pension was not only enough to live on, but also to take care of myself. I don’t have any income anywhere else, that’s all I had. I bought medicines at the pharmacy in installments. I said I would pay when I got my pension, but I couldn’t get my pension. It’s very difficult,” she said.
Narmin Hasanova, Ulvi Hasanly’s sister, also claims that blocking the accounts of Hasanly’s family members caused them considerable difficulties:
“My mother Esvira Musayeva’s pension card and my sister Sadagat Hasanova’s salary card were blocked. They were the sole breadwinners in the house. My mother has her own needs, she has been worrying for days, she doesn’t know what to do.
Lawyer Elchin Sadygov believes that blocking the bank accounts not only of family members, but also of the defendants themselves, is unjustified:
“Such decisions are made as part of investigations into certain cases, but in this case they are unfounded. The decision is unfounded.