Azerbaijan: from behind bars, journalist Sevinj Vagifgizi embodies the resistance of the free press
Imprisoned for over a year, Abzas Media editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi faces a new hearing tomorrow in an unfair and politically motivated trial. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns this judicial harassment based on the unfounded charge of "smuggling foreign currency," and pays tribute to her courage and commitment. RSF calls for the immediate release of Sevinj Vagifgizi and her co-defendants.
Experienced in resisting pressure from the Azerbaijani regime, the young editor-in-chief carries the steadfast gaze and attitude of someone who refuses to give in to injustice. Sevinj Vagifgizi is set to appear in court once again on 1 April, alongside five other defendants from the independent outlet Abzas Media. “Our spirits are high,” she told RSF in a message from the women’s detention center where she is currently held. All the defendants are accused of “smuggling foreign currency” in a case clearly manipulated to silence them.
At her latest hearing on 11 March, Sevinj Vagifgizi did not hesitate to name the Azerbaijani leader in court as the person directly responsible for her imprisonment, stating: “Our arrest is meant to remove us [from journalism] because we exposed the corruption crimes of Ilham Aliyev and his inner circle.” She also firmly denied the charges against her and her colleagues. “This case is not about smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, or document forgery. It’s about intolerance for the truth,” the journalist declared boldly.
This trial, marred by multiple procedural violations, is part of a broader crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan. At 35 years old, Sevinj Vagifgizi is confronting the repression with determination and full understanding of what her resistance entails.On 21 November, 2023, the day after Abzas Media’s director Ulvi Hasanli was arrested, she returned to Azerbaijan after a trip to Istanbul knowing she would be detained. She has now been detained for almost 500 days but the journalist is not giving up. “We’ve already adapted to the conditions here. Life is monotonous, just like outside prison. We add some color to it by celebrating our birthdays,” she told RSF. From her cell, the journalist continues to fight — for herself, for her colleagues, and for a free press in her country.
“Sevinj Vagifgizi embodies the dignity, hope and resistance of independent journalism in the face of repression. By keeping her in detention, the Azerbaijani authorities are simply exposing their weakness in the face of the power of the free press, a force they don’t understand. RSF calls for the immediate release of Sevinj Vagifgizi and the 24 other media professionals detained for doing their job.
Resilient, Sevinj Vagifgizi continues to observe and document in prison, turning the experience into a form of reporting. “In truth, this is a place we always wanted to see with our own eyes,” she confides to RSF. “It was impossible as journalists. You have to live here to understand what goes on, to meet the detainees, and to tangibly feel how the system works.”
“When she saw injustice, she couldn’t remain silent”
Sevinj Vagifgizi did not choose journalism by chance. A child displaced by the first Nagorno-Karabakh war (1988-1994), she and her two sisters grew up in poor living conditions in Baku, the capital. Her parents devoted everything to their education. From a very young age, a teacher encouraged her to become a journalist, noting that her student “always tells the truth and fights for justice.” When asked about her daughter’s youth, the journalist’s mother, Ofelya, recalled that “When she saw injustice, she couldn’t remain silent. Journalism quickly became a way for her to help people.” Sevinj Vagifgizi enrolled in the journalism school of Baku University in 2006. From 2009 onward, she worked with independent media outlets Bizim Yol, Azadlıq, and later Meydan TV.
She travels where others dare not go
Her reporting gives a voice to the forgotten, to families of soldiers killed on the front lines, to victims of broken promises. Described as “wholehearted” by those close to her, the journalist travels to where the action is taking place, to remote villages where others dare not go. She investigates abuses of power, including the hidden assets of the ruling Aliyev family, embezzlement linked to the reconstruction of the Karabakh region, and the conflicts of interest within entities such as the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and PASHA Holding — owned by the families of the president and his wife, Mehriban, who is also vice president. “Sevinj is fearless — she has never been afraid of pressure,” asserted Leyla Mustafayeva, now acting editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, who spoke to RSF from exile.
A consequence of practicing her profession in an authoritarian state, Sevinj Vagifgizi passionately defends press freedom. In February 2023, she was one of 40 brave signatories of an open letter condemning restrictions imposed by a new media law. When she is not working, she immerses herself in reading — especially on press law in various countries.
Her relentless fight for the truth despite persecution
Sevinj Vagifgizi’s dedication has provoked constant surveillance. From 2015 to 2019, she was banned from leaving the country. In 2020, she was beaten by police while covering a protest. She has faced multiple arrests, threats, smear campaigns and attempts to thwart her work. After her arrest at Baku airport in November 2023, she was cut off from the outside world for several weeks and the bank accounts belonging to the journalist and her family members were frozen for six months. According to the journalist, she was violently pushed against a wall, held in an unheated, flooded cell, and denied medical care. To protest the lack of investigations into their complaints of abuse, the journalist and some of her co-defendants refused to appear in court twice.
Even behind bars, Sevinj Vagifgizi continues her fight for the truth. She explained to RSF, “Before my arrest, at the airport, I promised that the investigations into corruption would continue, even if they arrested us one by one, and that we would keep disappointing [the authorities]. My colleagues have kept that promise. I am very grateful to them. Foreign and Azerbaijani journalists are continuing the investigations. That means our arrest hasn’t changed anything. That gives us hope.”
