Journalist Hafiz Babalı Alleges "Black PR" Campaign and Media Defamation from Prison

Hafiz Babalı

Hafiz Babalı, an investigative journalist arrested within the scope of the "Abzas Media case," has formally appealed to the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Agency for Media Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MEDIA). In his appeal, he detailed how several news websites have published biased and slanderous articles about him, urging state institutions to investigate these matters.

Babalı claims that a widespread "black PR" campaign, driven by the intention to damage his professional reputation and, more importantly, to discredit and stain his character in the public eye, is being disseminated in the local press. This campaign, he states, is occurring against the backdrop of a large-scale wave of arrests, described as a "crusade" by law enforcement agencies against critical journalism. Despite his limited means, he is fighting this "immoral campaign" in court, though he notes that "courts act as lawyers for the slanderers".

Specific Instances of Alleged Defamation

December 2023 Article: Shortly after his illegal arrest in mid-December 2023 as part of the "Abzas Media case," an article titled "New details in the Hafiz Babalı case" was published on www.qafqazinfo.az on December 28. Babalı describes this article as disinformative and unsupported by any evidence. The same day, this article was republished by "İki Sahil" newspaper's website, modern.az, demokrat.az, pravda.az, yenigundem.az, and was broadcast on "ATV" telekanal's "Xəbərlər" (News) evening program, all citing the initial source. He asserts that the anonymous author of this "ugly scribbling" aimed to tarnish his image as an objective journalist, seemingly believing that his incarceration would prevent him from learning about the article, thus leaving their "treasonous act against the honorable journalistic profession" unaddressed. Upon learning of the article, he first demanded a retraction through his lawyer, then resorted to court action.

May 2025 Video Material: On May 2, 2025, "Baku TV" telekanal aired a video titled "Anonymous bank cards, confidential electronic channels, apartment-offices | Why?". Just three days later, this material was transcribed and widely circulated by "Report" Information Agency and the qafqazinfo.az news website. This "slanderous material" also contained defamatory information targeting him personally. Babalı notes that, similar to the first article, the principles of objectivity and impartiality were disregarded, and his position was not sought, even through his lawyer.

Legal Recourse and Call for State Oversight

Due to his imprisonment and resulting financial hardship, Babalı has chosen to pursue legal action only against "Baku TV" among the many defamatory media outlets, demanding a retraction, an apology, and compensation for moral damages. He states that his appeal against qafqazinfo.az will be heard on October 21 at 10:00, and his civil claim against "Baku TV" will commence on September 4 at 16:40, both at Nasimi District Court. He expressed a strong desire for representatives of the state control bodies, to whom he addressed his appeal, to attend these open court proceedings.

Babalı highlights that, according to the requirements of the "Media Law" of the Republic of Azerbaijan, published information in the media must not degrade honour and dignity, tarnish business reputation, include slander or bias, and facts and events must be presented impartially and objectively. Furthermore, the law prohibits the publication or dissemination of information about a person's guilt without a legally binding court decision.

He observes that despite these legal requirements, "our media is being polluted with such unclean information, and state institutions seem to be ignoring these instances". He critically points out that if the news he watches in prison is to be believed, the Media Agency organises seminars and conferences worth hundreds of thousands of manats to combat disinformation and fake news. However, drawing from his own experience, he firmly states that many local mass media outlets either "sabotage this fight, or for some reason, they are untouchable, like dogs with backing".

Hafiz Babalı concludes his appeal by calling upon the Audiovisual Council and MEDİA Agency to use their powers, rights, and duties to investigate the details mentioned in his application and to take disciplinary measures against the media bodies and telekanals that violate the law.