Reports of violence against journalist Sevinj Vagifgizi, currently detained at the Baku Investigation Detention Center No. 1, have raised fresh concerns about the treatment of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Vagifgizi’s family, speaking to Meydan TV, described visible injuries discovered during a recent visit on November 16.
Family members recounted bruising and burst veins on Vagifgizi’s wrist and fingers, claiming these injuries were sustained during a confrontation with detention center staff. According to the journalist, the altercation began when another detainee, Nargiz Absalamova, was reprimanded by a supervisor. Tensions escalated, leading to staff allegedly sealing the ventilation systems of several cells, causing suffocation and health emergencies, particularly for a cellmate with epilepsy.
Vagifgizi told her family she protested the actions, placing her hand in the ventilation slot to prevent further closures. She alleged that her hand was deliberately injured by staff as they tried to force her compliance. Other detainees reportedly joined her in knocking on their cell doors in protest until the ventilation was reopened.
Efforts to seek comment from the Penitentiary Service were unsuccessful, and Vagifgizi’s lawyer was denied access to her on November 15. Her family alleges this was to prevent documentation of her injuries.
The incident, coupled with allegations of intimidation by detention center supervisors, reflects a broader crackdown on independent journalism and dissent in Azerbaijan. Vagifgizi, along with five other employees of the media organization AbzasMedia, has been in custody since November 2023. The journalists face charges of smuggling and other financial crimes—accusations they deny, asserting that the arrests are retaliation for their investigative reporting on corruption within the state.
International human rights organizations have repeatedly called on Azerbaijani authorities to release journalists and activists detained under what they describe as politically motivated charges. Advocacy groups estimate there are currently around 300 political prisoners in the country, a claim Azerbaijani officials deny, insisting that no one is jailed for their professional or political activities.
