Sevinc Vagifgizi

Affiliated media: Abzas Media , Head

Incident date: November 13, 2024

Attack type:

• Selective application of repressive laws

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Turan.az

Location: Azerbaijan, Baku

Additional information:

The imprisoned journalists of Abzas Media have had their phone calls with relatives reduced from 15 minutes to just 2 minutes. This restriction is reportedly linked to the ongoing international climate conference COP29 in Baku. The mother of the arrested Abzas Media editor-in-chief, Sevinj Vagifgizi, shared that her phone call with her daughter was abruptly cut off shortly after it began. "Sevinj said that due to COP29, their phone calls have been reduced to two minutes. They were told that it was enough for their family members to hear their voice. Previously, in-person visits were cancelled, and now even phone calls have been shortened," said the journalist's mother, Ophelia Maharramova. A statement on the Abzas Media website notes that the phone calls of other detainees involved in the case have also been limited to one or two minutes. Moreover, in recent times, the journalists from Abzas Media have not been brought to court hearings, and the proceedings have been held online.