International organizations have demanded the release of Abzas Media journalists.

International human rights organizations have criticized the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan, which upheld the sentences in the Abzas Media case against the journalists, and called for their release.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in June 2025, a Baku court found employees of the online publication Abzas Media guilty of economic crimes. The publication's director, Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief, Sevinj Vagifgizi, investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, and economist, Farid Mehralizade, were sentenced to nine years in prison, Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova to eight years, and Mohammed Kekalov to seven. On March 6, Mehralizade, and on March 13, Ulvi Hasanli, pleaded not guilty at cassation appeal hearings and demanded that the verdict be overturned. On April 3, the appellate court upheld the verdicts of all those convicted in the case.

 The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan's approval of lengthy prison sentences for journalists from the independent media outlet Abzas Media. The committee noted that they were engaged in anti-corruption investigations and all denied the charges, CPJ said in a statement released on April 8.

Following the April 3 court ruling, the journalists plan to file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, said Gunel Safarova, the exiled acting director and editor-in-chief of Abzas Media.

By rejecting the appeals of the journalists convicted in the Abzas Media case, the authorities may believe they are putting an end to the case against independent media, said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said. "It is clear that they are afraid of publications about high-level corruption in Azerbaijan. If they have nothing to hide, the authorities should stop the repression and release all imprisoned journalists. Foreign governments should prioritize press freedom and the release of journalists in their dealings with officials in Baku,” Said emphasized.

Police raided the offices of Abzas Media in 2023 and said they found 40,000 euros ($46,800), accusing the embassies of the United States, France, and Germany of illegally funding the outlet, CPJ reports.

These journalists are among at least 24 imprisoned in Azerbaijan; most of them were detained on charges of accepting funds from Western donors since late 2023 amid deteriorating relations with the West. Azerbaijani law requires civil society organizations to obtain state approval to receive foreign grants, which authorities accused these outlets of failing to do. In its rulings on similar cases, the European Court of Human Rights has emphasized that such violations under Azerbaijani law are punishable by fines, not criminal sanctions. Independent experts claim that the authorities refuse to register independent organizations seeking foreign grants, making it impossible for them to receive them legally," the international journalists' organization emphasized, calling on the authorities to "immediately release all journalists wrongfully imprisoned amid ongoing pressure on press freedom in the country."

Another international organization defending journalists has also called for the release of journalists arrested in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani authorities have not commented on statements by international organizations regarding the Abzas Media case.

Journalists from other media outlets, including Meydan TV, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also been persecuted in Azerbaijan. The "Caucasian Knot" report "Serial Arrests of Journalists in Azerbaijan" details the events that led to the new wave of repression against the independent press.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest level in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points to the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the presence of political prisoners in the country.