HAFIZ BABALI
Investigative journalist and corruption researcher, currently imprisoned on disputed charges, known for his critical reports on corruption.
About Hafiz Babali
Hafiz Babali was born on 9 September 1971 in the Ismayilli district of Azerbaijan.
He studied journalism at Baku State University from 1992 to 1996. While still a student, Babali began his career in journalism, first working as a translator for the newspaper Metallurg from 1992 to 1994 and then as a correspondent for Gunay newspaper from 1994 to 1997. In August 1997, Babali joined the Turan Information Agency, where he worked for over 26 years.
Before his arrest in December 2023, Babali was the editor of the economics department at the Turan Information Agency and also carried out extensive investigations into corruption. His reports have been featured in media outlets such as Radio Liberty, Meydan TV, Open Azerbaijan, and Abzas Media. Babali’s investigative journalist work, particularly on corruption, earned him the Free Media Awards 2019 from the Fritt Ord Foundation and the ZEIT Foundation. His works, such as “Gypsum Export: Millions Evaded in Taxes,” “500 Million from the International Bank Disappeared,” and “Profitable Retro Business of the Pashayevs,” have gained significant attention.
Babali also serves as the vice president of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS).
Despite facing years of government pressure, including a brief period of self-exile from 2017 to 2018, he returned to Azerbaijan to continue his work.
Case description
Babali was initially questioned as a witness in the Abzas Media case on November 28, 2023. He was subsequently detained on December 13, 2023, and charged with smuggling foreign currency. The following day, a court remanded him in pre-trial detention.
As the investigation continued, the charges against him were amended on August 17, 2024, to include several new economic crimes, such as illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, and document forgery. Babali consistently denied all charges. His pre-trial detention was extended multiple times, including on March 7, July 9, and September 7, 2024.
The preliminary investigation concluded in late 2024, and his trial began on December 17, 2024. On June 20, 2025, the Baku Court on Grave Crimes Court convicted Babali on all charges and sentenced him to nine years in prison as part of a mass conviction of seven journalists and affiliates of Abzas Media.
Babali, who has a third-group disability, has had his disability pension account frozen. During his detention, he filed a defamation lawsuit against a television channel for what he claimed were false reports, but the court rejected his claim. As of September 2025, Hafiz Babali, along with other convicted journalists, was being held in the mixed penitentiary complex in Umbaki, which is far from Baku and restricts in-person meetings, despite the appeals court verdict upholding his sentence.
Resources about Hafiz Babali
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