Aygul Babayeva, an employee of the women's division of Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1, had previously committed violence against Sevinj Vagifgizi.

Another employee of Abzas Media, journalist Nargiz Absalamova, who has been held on false charges for over a year, was subjected to violence at Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1. The journalist informed her family about this herself.

She said that while returning from a meeting with her lawyer, she approached the cell where Sevinj Vagifgizi was being held, wishing to greet her. At that moment, a guard named Aygul Babayeva tried to force her away from the cell and scratched the journalist's arm deeply in several places with her nails. Consequently, Absalamova's arm became scarred.

According to the journalist, this is not the first time the guard has acted in this manner; she has previously exhibited notable violence and rudeness towards them on several occasions.

It was not possible to get a comment from the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice on the issue.
Aygul Babayeva also committed violence against Sevinj Vagifqizi, the imprisoned editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, a few weeks ago, as reported by Vagifqizi. She stated that while she was going to call her family, she approached the ventilation of the cell where her colleague Elnara Gasimova was being held and wanted to say hello. At that moment, Aygul Babayeva violently squeezed her arm and pushed her against the wall.

Last November, the editor-in-chief of the publication, Sevinc Vagifgizi, along with reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Qasimova, who were held in the women's ward, were subjected to violence when they protested against the blocking of the ventilation openings in their cells. The guards trapped Sevinc Vagifgizi’s arm in the ventilation door, causing bruising. Nargiz Absalamova, who objected to this, was insulted by Senior Sergeant Aziza Mammadova.

A guard named Vahid intimidated the prisoners and coerced them into providing false statements against Elnara Qasimova. They were instructed to write in their statements that they had witnessed the journalist hitting the guard.

Since November 2023, six employees of Abzas Media, which conducts corruption investigations in Azerbaijan, have been arrested: Director Ulvi Hasanli, his deputy Mohammad Kekalov, editor-in-chief Sevinc Vagifgizi, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Qasimova, and investigative journalist Hafiz Babali.

In May last year, Farid Mehralizade, a journalist and economist of Radio Liberty, was arrested in the Abzas Media case. On the same day, Abzas Media released a statement clarifying that Mehralizade had no professional connection to them.

All the journalists were initially charged with smuggling.

In August, the charges against those arrested in the Abzas Media case were aggravated. The investigation brought additional charges, and the journalists face prison sentences of 8 to 12 years.

Local and international human rights organizations consider these persecutions as politically motivated and demand the release of those arrested as well as the dismissal of the charges against them.