Ulviyya Ali: The Unsilenced Voice of Azerbaijan

Ulviyya Ali

Before she was detained, journalist Ulviyya Ali prepared a letter to be shared in the event of her arrest. It began with a declaration of her innocence and purpose

"If you are reading this note it is because I have been unjustly jailed for my journalism work. Like my other journalist colleagues, I have committed no crime..."

Ulviyya Ali is a courageous Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist who was arrested in May 2025 as part of a sweeping government crackdown on independent media. This profile chronicles her journey from a teenage activist to a fearless reporter and details her unwavering fight for free speech in the face of escalating repression.

To understand her dedication, it's essential to look back at her beginnings as a young activist.

The Making of an Activist

Ulviyya Ali gizi Guliyeva was born on October 13, 1993, in the Goychay District of Azerbaijan. After her birth, her family briefly moved to Baku before relocating to Russia, where she spent her early childhood. At age eight, she and her family returned to Azerbaijan.

Her political awakening occurred at age 17, when she became involved in socio-political activism. From 2012 to 2016, she was an active member of the NIDA Civic Movement, where she was twice elected to the movement’s Supervisory and Inspection Committee, a testament to her commitment. She participated in numerous protests and campaigns, and during a "Disarm the Police!" rally in January 2013, she was detained by police. This early work confronting state power and defending the rights of others laid the foundation for her future career.

Her passion for justice soon found a new and powerful outlet: journalism.

A Career Dedicated to Truth

As a journalist, Ulviyya Ali became a voice for the voiceless, dedicating her work to exposing injustice and holding power to account.

A Voice for the Voiceless 

Her reporting focused on politically sensitive topics that few others dared to cover. She consistently shed light on human rights violations, political trials, public protests, and the struggles for LGBTQ+ and women's rights. Her final reporting before her arrest was from the court hearings of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu and journalists from Abzas Media—precisely the kind of critical work the authorities sought to stop.

Key Affiliations 

Over her career, she collaborated with several prominent independent media outlets, including:

• Voice of America (VoA): She served as a correspondent from 2019 until February 2025, when Azerbaijani authorities revoked the outlet's accreditation.

• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

• Toplum TV

• OC Media

• JAMnews

A Pattern of Harassment 

Her May 2025 arrest was not a sudden event but the culmination of years of state harassment. While reporting, she was repeatedly detained and subjected to police violence

In February 2020, she was detained and sustained minor physical injuries while covering a protest in front of the Central Election Commission.

In September 2020, police detained her and a colleague while covering a protest, pressuring them to delete their footage.

In August 2021, she was detained while reporting on a protest against femicide. Her camera was damaged, and she was verbally abused in custody.

Symbolic Protests 

In December 2021, Ali participated in a demonstration protesting a restrictive new media law. A photograph from the event captured the phrase she had written on her hand, a simple yet profound message: "a word is free." After VoA's accreditation was revoked in February 2025, she refused to be silenced. In a direct challenge to the state's attempt to erase her work, she declared she would continue her journalism independently via her personal Facebook page.

However, her commitment to independent reporting placed her directly in the path of a growing government crackdown on free press.

The Arrest: A Targeted Silencing

Ulviyya Ali's arrest was not an isolated incident but part of a systematic campaign to dismantle the country's remaining independent media.

The Broader Context 

She was the 11th journalist detained in connection with the "Meydan TV case," a wide-ranging investigation into an exile-based independent media outlet. Her arrest made her the 25th reporter jailed by Azerbaijani authorities in the preceding 18 months. The state pressure had been building for months; in January 2025, authorities imposed a travel ban on her, which she was actively challenging in court at the time of her arrest.

The Night of the Arrest (May 6-7, 2025) 

In a detailed letter from prison, Ali recounted the events with defiant clarity:

At around midnight, as she entered her apartment building, she was approached by police, put into a car, and taken into custody.

Her apartment was ransacked by seven policemen. Familiar with the authorities' tactics, she sarcastically asked the investigator: "Aren't you planting money in the house?"

Shortly after her question, an officer claimed to have found a large sum of money wrapped with a rubber band on top of a wardrobe. Ali stated unequivocally that the money was planted. The officer who "found" it then gloated, "See, I planted it." Ali recounted her response: "I applauded and said, 'I liked your performance.'"

She was charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code for smuggling—"bogus" charges that nearly all reporters arrested since November 2023 have faced. Later, when assigned to a cell, she noted the irony: "I smiled again to myself, associating cell number 6 with the 'Ward No. 6' story."

Violence in Custody 

During interrogation, police subjected Ali to severe physical and psychological abuse to coerce her into giving up her phone and computer passwords. She described how "the shrill voice of this thin man, which he apparently liked hearing himself, was yelling at me at full force." She reported being struck on the head multiple times and having her hair pulled by officers. Most disturbingly, she was threatened with sexual violence. In her letter, she wrote:

“I want everyone to know that within 24 hours I was twice threatened with rape by the Azerbaijani police!”

This abuse was particularly dangerous given her medical history; she had a benign brain tumor in 2017. Her requests for an MRI scan to check for internal injuries following the blows to her head were pending at the time of this writing.

Despite the violence and fabricated charges, Ulviyya Ali's voice refused to be broken.

Defiance in the Face of Injustice

In the courtroom and in her writings, Ulviyya Ali has demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience.

Courtroom Declaration 

As she was brought to court to face a judge, she made a powerful symbolic gesture. Raising her handcuffed wrists for journalists to see, she proclaimed:

"The hands of the media are shackled!"

A Message of Pride 

In the letter she wrote before her arrest, Ali affirmed her identity and purpose. She expressed pride that her name would be remembered not as a criminal, but as an independent journalist who stands against injustice and gives voice to the oppressed.

International Reaction 

Her arrest and the reports of her mistreatment drew immediate condemnation from press freedom and human rights organizations around the world.

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): Called her arrest a step by Azerbaijani authorities to "eliminate any trace of independent journalism."

Human Rights Watch (HRW): Stated that the authorities' actions show "how much they fear the facts."

Front Line Defenders: Issued five demands, including her immediate and unconditional release and a thorough investigation into the allegations of physical abuse.

Other Key Organizations: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) all condemned her detention and called for her release.

The international outcry underscores her significance as a symbol of press freedom in a country where it is under constant assault.

A Symbol of Courage

Ulviyya Ali's journey from teenage activist to fearless journalist represents a profound and lifelong commitment to truth. Human rights advocate Emin Huseynov stated that "following the expulsion of AbzasMedia and Toplum TV from the country and the closure of Turan Information Agency, Ulviyya Ali became the only remaining source of independent journalism in Azerbaijan." While the state has imprisoned her on fabricated charges in an attempt to silence her, her defiant spirit continues to resonate. Her story, amplified by her own powerful words from behind bars, serves as an inspiring testament to the enduring and unbreakable power of the fight for free speech.