A recent report published by Abzas Media documents the intensifying crackdown on press freedom in Azerbaijan by highlighting the cases of nine imprisoned women journalists.
The report, Silenced for the Truth: The Politically Motivated Imprisonment of Nine Women Journalists in Azerbaijan, outlines Azerbaijan’s systematic targeting of independent reporters through the weaponization of the legal system, gender-based abuse and torture, and deliberate isolation in remote prisons. The report condemns the drastic lack of global response to the media crackdown in the country and urges the international community—including EU Member States, Council of Europe, and the United States Government—to take action by exerting political pressure and prioritizing human rights in relations with Azerbaijan.
Executive Summary
Between November 2023 and October 2025, the government of Azerbaijan executed a devastating and coordinated assault on independent media and civil society. This campaign has effectively dismantled the country’s free press through a coordinated strategy of mass arrests, fabricated charges, torture, and systematic imprisonment. The timing—accelerating after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh and intensifying before hosting the COP29 climate conference—reveals a calculated effort to silence all critical voices before international scrutiny.
The human cost is staggering: As of October 2025, over 392 political prisoners languish in Azerbaijani detention facilities, with at least 25 journalists among them. This represents the most severe wave of repression in over a decade.
This report analyzes a central element of this strategy: the targeted arrest and imprisonment of nine prominent women journalists. These individuals—Sevinc Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, Elnara Gasimova, Aynur Elgunash, Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdig), Aysel Umudova, Khayala Aghayeva, Fatima Movlanli, and Ulviyya Guliyeva (Ali)—affiliated primarily with Abzas Media and Meydan TV, have been persecuted for their investigative work exposing high-level corruption and human rights abuses.