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Draft:Hafiz Babali

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Hafiz Babali
Hafiz Babalı
Born (1971-09-09) 9 September 1971 (age 52)
Muju, Ismailli, Azerbaijan SSR
CitizenshipAzerbaijan
EducationBaku State University
Occupation(s)Journalist, political prisoner

Hafiz Babali (born September 9, 1971, in Mugu, Ismayilli district) is an Azerbaijani political prisoner and investigative journalist with over 32 years of experience in independent media organizations. Babali serves as the deputy chairman of the Institute for Freedom and Safety of Reporters (RATI) and is the head of the economics department at the Turan Information Agency.

Hafiz Babali, who has repeatedly faced harassment and pressure during his journalistic activities, was detained by police on December 12, 2023, as part of the AbzasMedia case. He was subsequently charged with "smuggling" and arrested.[1] His detention has been heavily criticized by numerous local and international human rights activists and institutions, who view it as a direct attack on press freedom and an attempt to silence independent journalism in Azerbaijan.

Personal life and education

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Hafiz Babali was born on September 9, 1971, in the Mugu settlement of the Ismayilli district. He completed his secondary education in Sumgait city. From 1992 to 1996, he studied at the Faculty of Journalism at Baku State University. He is married and has three children.

Journalism career

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Babali began working with various newspapers while he was still a student. He started his journalistic career as a translator for the "Metallurg" newspaper from 1992 to 1994 and then worked as a reporter for the "Gunay" newspaper from 1994 to 1997. Since August 1997, he has been with the Turan Information Agency.

Throughout his career, Babali's research and reports have been featured in various media outlets, including Radio Liberty, Meydan TV, and AbzasMedia. Since 2016, Hafiz Babali has served as the deputy chairman of the Institute for Freedom and Safety of Reporters (RATI).

Arrest and detention

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On November 20, 2023, Ulvi Hasanli, the CEO of Abzas Media, was detained near his home while en route to the airport for an international trip.[2] Hasanli was taken to the Main Police Department of Baku city, where both his home and the Abzas Media office were searched. Zibeyda Sadigova, Hasanli's lawyer, reported that during a five-hour search at the office, the police allegedly found 40,000 euros. Additionally, on the night of November 20–21, Sevinj Vagifgizi, the editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, returned to Azerbaijan from Istanbul, was detained by police at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, and had her apartment searched.[3] Both journalists were charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling in a preliminary arrangement by a group of persons) of the Criminal code and were placed in pre-trial detention.[4]

After the detention of the employees of AbzasMedia, journalist Hafiz Babali was summoned to the Main Police Department of Baku City as a witness.[5] On December 13, Babali was taken into custody by the police, and his home was searched by eight police officers along with an investigator from the Main Police Department of Baku City.[6] Like other AbzasMedia employees, a criminal case was opened against him under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling on preliminary arrangement by group of persons) of the Criminal Code. On December 14, 2023, the Khatai District Court decided to impose a three-month pre-trial detention for the journalist.[7] During the investigation, his detention was extended 2 times, with the most recent extension on June 9, 2024, which added an additional two months 7 days to his pretrial detention.[8][9]

International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International,[10] the European Federation of Journalists,[11] the Committee to Protect Journalists,[12] along with the US State Department,[13] have condemned Babali's arrest.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ahmedbeyli, samira (2024-01-12). "Azerbaijani court keeps Abzas Media journalists in custody". English Jamnews. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  2. ^ Fərhadoğlu, Tapdıq (2023-11-20). ""AbzasMedia"nın direktoru saxlanılıb". Voice of America (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  3. ^ Bayramova, Pərvanə (2023-11-21). "Abzas Medianın baş redaktorunun hava limanında saxlanıldığı bildirilir". Voice of America (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  4. ^ Fərhadoğlu, Tapdıq (2023-11-21). "Məhkəmə Abzas Media xəbər saytının direktoru və baş redaktoru barədə həbs qətimkan tədbiri seçib". Voice of America (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  5. ^ Jurnalist Hafiz Babalı "Abzas Media"ya qarşı açılmış cinayət işi ilə bağlı dindirilib (in Azerbaijani). 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-07-28 – via www.amerikaninsesi.org.
  6. ^ "Jurnalist Hafiz Babalı saxlanılıb". Voice of America (in Azerbaijani). 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  7. ^ "Məhkəmə jurnalist Hafiz Babalı barəsində 3 ay həbs qətimkan tədbiri seçib". Abzas.net (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  8. ^ "Məhkəmə jurnalist Hafiz Babalının həbs müddətini daha iki ay uzadıb". Voice of America (in Azerbaijani). 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  9. ^ mahmud (2024-07-09). "Hafiz Babalının həbs müddəti artırılıb". MEYDAN.TV (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  10. ^ "Urgent Action: RELEASE ARRESTED JOURNALISTS (Azerbaijan 31.24)". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  11. ^ "Journalists in jail (Europe)". European Federation of Journalists. 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  12. ^ "Hafiz Babali Archives". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  13. ^ "Department Press Briefing – December 14, 2023". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
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