Canada-based blogger Imran Asadov was reportedly detained after arriving in Azerbaijan. Asadov, who owns a YouTube channel, openly targeted activists who were against the Karabakh war, which took place in 2020 during the 44-day war.
During questioning, and likely under duress, all of the videos on Asadov’s YouTube channel were removed. Wayback machine shows that in September 2023, there were at least 57 videos. The current version of the channel shows 0.
[Update February 24] The pre-trial detention period of Abzas Media journalist Nargiz Abusalamova was extended by another three months.
[Update February 21] Kanal 13 director Aziz Orujov’s pre-trial detention was extended by another month.
[Update January 13] Police arrested another Abzas Media journalist – Elnara Gasimova. She was sentenced to pretrial detention on January 15, 2024, for a period of two months and 17 days. She is facing the same charges as the rest of the journalists from Abzas Media, and if found guilty, she faces between six months and eight years in prison and a fine.
[Update December 4] Following the arrests of Kekalov, Vagifgizi, and Hasanli, three more journalists were arrested. Among them are Nargiz Abusalamova (Abzas Media reporter), Aziz Orujov (founder of online television channel Kanal 13), and Rufat Muradli (the host of the show on Kanal 13). There were also reports of a hacking attempt on Kanal 13’s YouTube channel. At least two videos were removed from the channel before Orujov’s brother could secure access to the account.
Abusalamova was questioned earlier as a witness in the investigation launched against Abzas Media. Still, authorities arrested the journalist on December 1 and sentenced her to three months in pre-trial detention. Speaking to journalists, Absalamova’s lawyer said the accusations were baseless, “The court argued that Absalamova can aid others involved in the case and hence, to prevent that from happening, her arrest was necessary.”
[Update November 23] Mahammad Kekalov was also sentenced to three months and 27 days on the same charges. Kekalov’s lawyer, Rovshana Rahimli, told Abzas Media she finally had a chance to meet Kekalov on November 23. During the meeting, Kekalov refused to proceed with Rahimli. He told her he had already been assigned a state lawyer and that he had committed no crime and would continue working with the state-assigned lawyer. The meeting took place in the presence of a state investigator. Friends and acquaintances fear Kekalov made this decision under duress. This request was not granted despite the lawyer’s attempts to meet Kekalov without any state representative. “I was surprised to hear Kekalov’s decision. He knows me. And despite me telling him that his family hired me, he pressed with his decision. He was very calm when we talked. And he did not explain the reason why he decided to refuse my services.” In addition, several other journalists were questioned as part of the investigation on November 23 – Nargiz Absalamova, Sahila Aslanova, Mina Alyarli, and Elnare Gasimova. Ulvi Hasanli’s wife, Rubaba Guliyeva, was also questioned.
[Update] Both Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinc Vagifgizi were sentenced by the Khatai District Court. Hasanli was sentenced to four months in pretrial detention, while Vagifgizi to three months and 29 days.
[Update] Sevinc Vagifgizi, who was en route to Baku [on the flight from Istanbul] on November 20, was also detained at the airport, according to reporting by independent Meydan TV. Several Azerbaijani activists who were on the same flight with her told Meydan TV she was detained once the plane landed in Azerbaijan. In an interview with Meydan TV at the airport before boarding her flight to Baku, Vagifgizi said she is certain that Hasanli’s arrest is directly related to the investigative work by Abzas media on the corruption among companies owned by individuals related to the ruling family doing business in Karabakh. Meanwhile, lawyer Zibeyde Sadighova told Meydan TV that Ulvi Hasanli is being charged with smuggling large amounts of goods or other subjects on preliminary arrangement by a group of persons [Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan]. On November 21, Vagifgizi was charged on similar grounds. According to Abzas media, Mahammad Kekalov, who writes about people with disabilities, was also detained on November 20. He was taken from his house against his will by plain-clothed police officers.
Abzas media also released an audio recording of Hasanli explaining what happened: “I was about to get into the taxi leaving my apartment, a car stopped in front of the taxi and a bunch of men showed up. They were all wearing masks. They called my name. I cannot recall at which point exactly I was hit. They took me there and brought me to the police station. We started arguing. Two officers hit me. Then the questioning began. They asked me why we [Abzas] did not write about Karabakh but instead wrote about corruption. “Aren’t there other problems to write about,” they asked me. The money [police claim to have found] was planted there, it is so obvious. Because of the place where they allegedly found it. It was in the hallway of the office, not even inside one of the rooms [clearly someone just dropped it there].” In a statement shared by Abaz media on their Facebook page, the platform said, “As Abzas media we inform you, that Hasanli’s detention, the search at his house and on the promises of the office, are unlawful. All that is happening is directly related to [Hasanli’s] journalism. We demand immediate release of Hasanli.”
In an interview with Turan News Agency, the platform’s editor-in-chief, Sevinc Vagifgizi said, “Ulvi left home at 4.30 AM and was headed to the airport. However, he never boarded the plane and has not been in touch since.” Vagifgizi added she suspected Hasanli was detained at the airport.
Az-Net Watch spoke to Hasanli’s lawyer, Zibeyde Sadishova, who confirmed that Hasanli was indeed detained, except detention took place at Hasanli’s home as he was getting ready to leave. The police searched both Hasanli’s home and the office of Abzas Media. In the latter’s case, police claimed they had discovered 40,000EUR in cash. Hasanli denied having any connection to the money. It is suspected police planted the cash during the search.
Meanwhile, the lawyer also confirmed that the home of Vagifgizi was also searched. The police did not find anything there. According to the lawyer, Hasanli was beaten by the police.
Hasanli was most recently detained at the US Embassy in Baku when he filmed the flash mob organized by feminist activists in July 2023. A month prior, in June, Hasanli was questioned over a Facebook post that police asked he remove. In the post, Hasanli shared the pictures of two police officers who were in charge of detaining journalists covering an environmental protest outside of the capital.
Since 2016, Absaz media has been targeted with DDoS attacks. In 2017, the website was blocked from access inside the country, forcing the website managers to switch the website’s extension. In April 2020, the website was hacked and, as a result, lost a month’s worth of published articles, and some of the headlines changed. The platform was targeted again in February 2021.
Afiaddin Mammadov, the coordinator of Azerbaijan’s Alternative Confederation of Trade Unions, was sentenced to two months in pretrial detention in September 2023. Charged with deliberate infliction of bodily harm and armed hooliganism (based on a bogus accusation by an unidentified man claiming Mammadov stabbed him with a knife) originally, based on the hearing on November 15, in which the court extended Mammadov’s detention by an additional two months, turns out it was his outspoken criticism on social media platform Facebook that landed him behind hars.
Based on the reporting from the hearing by journalist Ulviyya Ali, the judge said, “I have seen your Facebook profile. What have you written there about the “one-day” war?” Mammadov said he wrote nothing about it. The judge then persisted, “Why did you write that President Ilham Aliyev has resolved the 30-year-old problem?” Mammadov after hearing this question told the judge, that he had criticized the president and his decisions a lot, and that he was certain the reason behind his arrest, was these previously written posts and comments on the social media platform and not him stabbing someone.
Mammadov repeated over and over again that he committed no crime. And that no one, should be put on trial, for wanting peace.
This is not the first time an activist is accused of a crime he did not commit in Azerbaijan. The country has a long-running history of putting its critics behind bars, handing administrative fines, and using various tools of intimidation to silence its state’s critics.
Mammadov is among several activists targeted since September.
[Update] Reports from Fuzuli confirm, that internet access has been restored as of October 24, 2023. Residents say that despite almost a month-long throttling, they have noticed the cash balance on their accounts has been withdrawn even though there was no internet access. Of the companies providing Internet access in Fuzuli, only Aztelekom has thus far restored access. According to reports, mobile operators continue to resort to throttling.
Azerbaijan throttled internet access on September 19, 2023, during military operations but according to reports from the ground, despite it being more than 20 days since the intervention, internet disruptions remain.
Azerbaijan launched a military offensive into the formerly disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on September 19, with the aim “to restore constitutional order” and “force the dissolution of the government” in the capital Khankendi [Stepanakert in Armenian]. As a result of the 24-hour operation termed by Azerbaijan’s Military of Defense as a “local anti-terror operation,” the government of Stepanakert/Khankendi surrendered, accepting the truce agreement outlined by Azerbaijan and Russia on September 20.
More coverage of the offensive available here.
According to reporting by independent Meydan TV, an online news platform, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, as well as other relevant institutions, have been silent about restrictions placed on internet access in Fuzuli. Users said on the social media platform Meta, that it was not only Fuzuli where restrictions continue but also in Aghdam, and Terter. “Access to the internet is only available at government institutions in Aghdam, Terter, and Fuzuli while the population remains without access,” wrote Khagani Bakshali in a post.
Meanwhile, residents were not informed of planned disruptions according to Meydan TV reporter reporting from the Arayatli village of Fuzuli.
The disruptions have affected especially students receiving online education.
An employee at the call center at Aztelecom, the main provider of internet access, said the company would investigate the disruptions, while the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport said there was no reason to worry and that the internet would be restored soon. “There is no reason to worry. Internet will be restored. We advise citizens to be patient,” the ministry said according to reporting by Meydan TV.
According to ICT expert and president of Azerbaijan Internet Forum Osman Gunduz, while the decision to restrict access to the Internet can be justified during military operations, once these are ended, access should be restored. In an interview with Meydan TV, Gunduz said, “When the state is conducting an anti-terrorist operation in a certain region, it is understandable that [the state can] restrict [access to] the Internet. An anti-terrorist operation can also be considered a military or emergency situation. But if the operations are over now, if the situation is under the control of the state, it would be correct to restore communications, open the Internet, and activate the mobile Internet service.”
*Fuzuli was one of the seven districts surrounding Karabakh occupied by the Armenian forces following the first Karabakh war. Azerbaijan regained control of the district as well as other six districts during the second Karabakh war.
[Update] Dia.az website was reportedly blocked inside the country following the court decision on November 15. The Media Development Agency filed the case with the court on November 10 [see the following update below]. The site’s manager considers the court’s decision unlawful. Zamanov told Meydan TV he will be appealing the decision. In an interview with Meydan TV, media expert Khalid Aghayev said, the court’s decision was baseless, adding, “It should not be possible to stop the work of a media outlet so easily. This is a clear violation of media freedom law.”
[Update] The media development agency takes the first media platform – Dia.az – to court. The reason, claims the agency, is that Dia.az failed to apply for registration with the agency. The site’s manager, Mahammad Zamanov, said Dia.az no longer operated as a media platform. The court case was filed on November 10, according to the reporting by an independent Meydan TV.
The most recent online platform to join the list of rejected news platforms by the state media registry is Gündəm Xəbər. According to Meydan TV, the website’s admins were informed on September 25, that their application was rejected on the grounds the website failed to meet the requirement of publishing at least 20 articles per day as per Article 60.5 of the new law on Media adopted by the parliament in 2021, and approved by the president Ilham Aliyev in February 2022.
At the time of its adoption, the new law was heavily criticized by local and international rights organizations who made repeated calls on the government to refrain from adopting the New Media Law given its restrictive nature. Critics of the draft law worried the new legal document would seriously threaten media freedom, including online media resources, as it contains provisions granting a discretionary power to the state, to regulate media excessively, especially online media, as well as introduce further restrictions on journalists’ work, media companies, and relevant entities. Critics were also vocal about the absence of a broad and meaningful public consultation of the law prior to its adoption.
According to the law on media, all online media outlets as well as journalists working for online media platforms or working as freelance journalists were ought to register with a new media registry system. This media registry system began to operate on October 14, 2022.
*For further reading read AIW’s legal overview and the implications of the new law here.
[Update] On January 17, Ruslan Vahabov [see the case below] was sentenced to 4 years behind bars on drug possession charges.
[Update] Authorities continued to target civic activists critical of the state during October. Below is a compilation of some the cases documented by AIW.
October 27 – Tural Farzili was detained after a post on Facebook in which he questioned the arrest of members of the working group representing the rights of workers. Farzili was released after questioning.
October 24 – Shahin Amanov was questioned at the police over a spot on Facebook where he criticized the local administrative office. He was also forced to delete all the posts.
October 23 – Zeka Miragayev was arrested over social media post critical of the Ministry of the Interior.
October 19 – Ilkin Calilov was questioned, beaten and forced to give a video statement under duress after leaving a comment on a post by Meydan TV on Facebook. In an interview with Abzas Media, Calilov recounted how at the station he was asked to remove the comment he left, which he did. Calilov also told Abzas Media that he was told never to leave any more comments.
October 18 – Mohyaddin Orucov was detained, and sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention.
October 16 – Emin Akhundov arrested over hooliganism and resisting police charges, charges Akhundov refutes. The activist is an active critic of the state, online.
Ruslan Vahabov, was arrested on drug trafficking charges on September 22. His name is the latest in a series of arrests targeting civic activists over their criticism of the state, online. According to reporting by Meydan TV, at least nine activists have been targeted so far. Many were reprimanded for their anti-war commentary.
In addition to making anti-war statements, Vahabov, is a representative of the Talysh ethnic group, and throughout his activism, he called to respect the group’s national and cultural rights. In a statement issued by the Public Council of Talyshs of Azerbaijan (PCTA), the group said, “Ruslan Vahabov is a public activist. He criticized the activities of certain institutions of the Azerbaijani government on social networks. At the same time, as a representative of the Talysh ethnic group, he advocated ensuring the constitutional national and cultural rights of his people. For public activity, he was previously subjected to verbal warnings from the police.”
On the social media platform Facebook, Vahabov shared anti-war sentiments. A day before his arrest, on September 21, Vahabov wrote, “What did we gain from the 24 hours and 43 minutes?” referring to the military operation that was launched by the government of Azerbaijan on September 19.
[Update] Access to TikTok was restored as of October 31, according to reports. The access was restored together with a call from the Cyber Security Service asking users to comply with the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the rules and conditions set by social network administrators when sharing on social networks.
On September 19, following reports that access to social media platform TikTok was unavailable, the Cyber Security Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies confirmed to BBC Azerbaijan service, that TikTok was suspended as a result of an “anti-terrorist operation” in Karabakh.
Previously authorities blocked access to the platform in September 2022. Then, the State Security Service said the measure was necessary in order to contain disinformation during the military offensive on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia on September 14, 2022.
Access to the Google Play store and Apple Appstore was also reportedly blocked.
Separately, at least two anti-war activists, Amrah Tahmazov and Javid Amhadov were called in for questioning by the State Security Service, over their social media posts reported OC Media.
Meanwhile, the State Agency for Media Development warned journalists and media platforms to refrain from sharing unverified information about the start of what the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense referred to as “local anti-terrorist measures,” which Azerbaijan launched on September 19.
The measures were taken following a mine explosion that killed 14 Azerbaijani citizens.
The last time the country imposed country-wide internet throttling, was in 2020 during the 44-day war.
In a separate appeal, the General Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement describing the rules of reporting on anti-terrorism operations:
“According to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Combating Terrorism”, information about terrorist acts is provided to the public in the form and volume determined by the head of the operational headquarters or the representative responsible for public relations of the operational headquarters.
The following information is prohibited from distribution:
- the tactics and technical methods of conducting anti-terrorist operations;
- the information that endangers the life and health of people in the zone of anti-terrorist operations or outside the limits of this zone and hinders the conduct of anti-terrorist operations;
- information that justifies terrorism or serves to promote it;
- information about the persons participating in the anti-terrorist operations, as well as those who help in carrying out these operations.
Placing prohibited information on the Internet is considered an administrative offense (Article 388-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and anyone sharing this information is subject to an administrative fine ranging from 500AZN to 2000AZN as well as an administrative arrest for up to 1 month.”
On September 13, the court in Baku ruled in favor of blocking access to the YouTube channel of an online news site “Hürriyyət” [Hurriyyet]. The decision was based on the request from the General Prosecutor’s Office.
The court in its ruling said the news site violated the law on Information, informatization, and protection of information, by publishing prohibited information. Specifically, the court referred to a guest on the show, Elnur Mammadov, who is a reserve colonel and who allegedly shared untrue information about the leaders of the Azerbaijan Army and the Ministry of Defense, thus damaging their reputation.
Earlier, on July 24, the General Prosecutor’s Office requested the arrest of the editor-in-chief of the news site Vugar Mammadov and Elnur Mammadov. Both were sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention for spreading prohibited information online.
Mammadov in his interview discussed cases of corruption and nepotism within the Ministry of Defense as well as raised allegations against the Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov.
[Update] Mammadli may face a possible eight-year sentence, according to the hearing, which took place on February 29. During the hearing, lawyer Fariz Namazli said his defendant is being charged with the crimes without evidence proving Mammadli indeed committed fraud, hooliganism, and extortion.
August 24, 2023 – Blogger Jamil Mammadli is facing multiple charges, including fraud, hooliganism, and extortion, and has been placed in administrative detention pending investigation, according to reports by local media.
The allegations leveled against the blogger claim that Mammadli allegedly influenced the participants of the trial and spread insulting posts about them on social networks.
As such, according to the blogger’s lawyer, Fariz Namazli, the state prosecutor and the plaintiffs claim Mammadli allegedly obstructed the “legality” of the trial. Yet, after reviewing Mammadli’s social media posts, the blogger’s defense has concluded that the blogger’s posts were irrelevant to the trial. Moreover, the State Prosecutor failed to provide substantial evidence proving that the blogger was involved in any influence over the trial participants.
Lawyer Namazli views the case as an attempt to restrict the blogger’s freedom of expression.
Mammadli was sentenced to one and a half years of community service in March 2022. At the time, the lawsuit was based on videos on Mammadli’s YouTube channel in which Mammadli claimed the executive branch was embezzling funds from persons receiving welfare payments.
A confession from journalist Elmaddin Shamilzadeh about the forced removal of social media posts under duress is a testament to persistent violence and intimidation used in Azerbaijan against civic groups. According to the reporting by Voice of America, Shamilzadeh was severely beaten by law enforcement during his detention last month. After the journalist agreed to remove all his social media posts on Facebook where he was critical of the police violence he was finally let go.
Shamilzadeh was filming protests in the village of Soyudlu. He was also able to take photographs of several police officers who used disproportionate force against village residents which were then published by Mikroskop Media.
Once the photographs were out, the journalist received a call from the state service for mobilization and conscription. The same day, he was taken from the courtyard of his home by two plain-clothed men. When the journalist tried using his phone, the two men grabbed his phone and taken to a local police station.
At the station police demanded Shamilzadeh to share the phone password which he refused to do. “When I said that I would not give them my password, one of the policemen punched me in the face,” the journalist recalled in an interview with Voice of America Azerbaijan Service. The beating continued despite the journalist’s requests to stop. “When I told them not to hit me in the face, they started cursing. From the blows, I fell to the floor.” The journalist was beaten by at least three officers. The violence was recorded by another officer in the room.
The physical violence forced the journalist to agree to remove all of the posts on Facebook about the police involved in the protest. Shamilzadeh used the opportunity when handed the phone back and posted “Torture” on his profile. Now, his friends and colleagues knew he was missing. According to the journalist, this also prevented the police from using further violence against him.
Instead of force, finally, the police started talking to the journalist. “They said that I can delete my posts myself. Then they will let me go. I thought it might be true, I picked up the phone and deleted the post with the word ‘torture’ and other posts about the police.”
But it did not stop there. After keeping the journalist for about an hour in some dark room, they brought him back to the officer of the operative who then threatened Shamilzadeh with rape.
The journalist caved and gave away his phone password. “When I handed over my phone the battery was almost fully charged, after two hours, when they finally returned my phone, the device was almost out of power. I don’t know what they did with my phone during those two hours,” said the journalist.
Shamilzadeh was also forced to sign a letter of confession where he apologized for his actions and vowed not to repeat the same mistakes. He was released afterward.
![Editor of an online news site arrested [Updated February 24, 2024]](https://www.az-netwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-20-at-1.54.47 PM-600x327.png)
![Internet disruptions in Fuzuli [Update October 24, 2023]](https://www.az-netwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-600x337.jpg)
![yet another activist detained over social media posts [Updated January 17, 2024]](https://www.az-netwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/roman-martyniuk-QQhAQHWvTYk-unsplash-600x337.jpg)
![Azerbaijan temporarily suspends access to TikTok [updated October 31, 2023]](https://www.az-netwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/solen-feyissa-1S1w1c4_VyA-unsplash-600x400.jpg)
