Wife of Journalist Convicted in Azerbaijan Prevented from Leaving the Country

Ulvi Hasanli

Wife of Journalist Convicted in Azerbaijan Prevented from Leaving the Country

Rubaba Guliyeva, the wife of Ulvi Hasanli, the convicted director of Abzas Media in Azerbaijan, will not be able to attend the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize ceremony at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg on September 29, for which her husband is one of the nominees.

The Azerbaijani authorities prevented her from leaving the country.

On September 28, Guliyeva was unable to fly from Baku to Strasbourg, where she had been invited by the organizers of the Havel Prize ceremony.

At the passport control desk of the Baku Airport, she was informed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan had imposed a ban on her departure from the country.

However, Guliyeva was not given any explanation as to which case led to the restriction of her rights.

She contacted Samir Ismayov, the investigator from the Baku City Main Police Department who was leading the Abzas Media case.

However, the investigator stated that he did not possess information regarding the imposition of a travel ban on Guliyeva from Azerbaijan.

Comments from the Azerbaijani MIA could not be obtained.

Ulvi Hasanli was sentenced to 9 years in prison on charges of economic crimes.

The Havel Prize is an annual award given for outstanding service in the defense of human rights in Europe and beyond. It has been jointly awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Václav Havel Library, and the Charta 77 Foundation since 2013. The prize consists of a sum of €60,000, a cup, and a diploma.

This year, in addition to Hasanli, the shortlist of nominees also includes Mzia Amaglobeli, founder and director of the newspapers Netgazeti and Batumelebi from Georgia, and Ukrainian journalist Maksym Butkevych.