Ulvi Hasanli demanded that the Supreme Court overturn the verdict.

The director of the Azerbaijani publication Abzas Media pleaded not guilty at a cassation appeal hearing and demanded that the verdict be overturned. The publication's journalists were persecuted for their anti-corruption investigations, he stated.

As reported by "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. The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict.

On March 13, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan held a hearing on the cassation appeal against the sentence of Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli, Meydan TV reports.

At the hearing, lawyer Fakhraddin Mehdiyev informed the court of procedural violations in the investigative materials. Specifically, the protocols did not indicate the identities of some of the people involved in the search of the Abzas Media office.

According to the lawyer, although a petition to establish the identities of these people was filed with the court, it was not granted. "The investigation materials are full of numerous similar procedural errors," Mehdiyev said, asking the court to dismiss the criminal case on acquittal grounds.

We were arrested and charged with crimes we were investigating

Ulvi Hasanli himself, speaking in court, stated that journalists are being persecuted for investigating corruption. "We investigated corruption [of the Azerbaijani leadership] and its entourage, the theft of millions of dollars in Karabakh, and the transfer of state funds abroad through offshore companies. "As a result, we were arrested and charged with the crimes we were investigating," he said.

According to him, on the day of his arrest at the Baku Main Police Department, he was asked questions about corruption investigations in Karabakh.

I was asked why we were investigating corruption.

"Although we were accused of smuggling and other financial crimes, on the day of my arrest, I was asked why we were investigating corruption... This shows the essence of the case," Hasanli said.

He also asked the court to dismiss the case. The court postponed the hearing indefinitely, the publication states.

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 existence of political prisoners in the country.

In October 2025, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Kaisa Ollongren, expressed concern about serious restrictions on media freedom in Azerbaijan. Her statement was made during a meeting with Azerbaijani journalists in exile.