Ulvi Hasanli (full name: Ulvi Fakhreddin oglu Hasanov; born 10 August 1987, Kirovabad) is an Azerbaijani journalist and political activist.[1] He has previously been involved in several youth and opposition movements, including the Dalga Youth Movement, the Free Youth Organization, the National Council of Democratic Forces, and the NIDA Civic Movement. Hasanli is currently the director of AbzasMedia, an independent media outlet in Azerbaijan.
Throughout his activism and journalistic career, Hasanli has faced significant pressure from the authorities. In November 2023, he was detained and charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (smuggling on preliminary arrangement by group of persons).
On 20 June 2025, Hasanli was sentenced to 9 years in prison.[2]
Early life
Ulvi Fakhraddin oglu Hasanli was born on 10 August 1987 in the city of Kirovabad (now Ganja).[3]
In 2005, he graduated from secondary school No. 29 named after K. Ushinsky in Ganja and enrolled in the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy.[3] In 2006, he was expelled from the academy due to his socio-political activity.[3]
Hasanli became involved in civic activism at a young age. In 2005, he joined the youth movement Dalğa (Wave).[4] In 2006, he was elected chairman of the movement and held this position until 2007.[5][6]
On 22 July 2007, he organized a youth protest titled "Let’s Support Free Press", which consisted of mass newspaper reading and was peaceful in nature.[7] The aim was to draw public attention to the importance of supporting independent media in Azerbaijan. The protest was dispersed by police.[8]
In January 2011, Hasanli became a co-founder and chairman of Free Youth (Azad Gənclik).[9] He resigned from this position in September 2013.[10]
In September 2013[12], he joined the NIDA Civic Movement and was elected to its board in 2014[13], serving until February 2015[14], and later again in 2017–2018 and 2019–2020.
In May 2022, Hasanli was a member of the organizing committee of the protest "We Do Not Want a Criminal State!", held on 14 May 2022 at Fountain Square. Several hours before the protest, he was detained by police and released in the evening.[15]
In 2022, he left the NIDA movement due to his active journalistic work.
On 20 October 2012, Ulvi Hasanli was detained by police while participating in a protest titled “Dissolve the Parliament!”, held at Fountain Square and demanding the dissolution of the parliament.[17] By decision of the Sabail District Court[18], Hasanli was sentenced to 7 days of administrative detention.[19][20] He was released on 27 October 2012.[21] On 20 July 2017, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment on the complaint filed against the decision of the Sabail District Court regarding Hasanli’s arrest in October 2012. The Court found violations of: Article 5 (right to liberty and security), Article 6 (right to a fair trial), and Article 11 (freedom of assembly) of the European Convention on Human Rights and ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay Hasanli €10,000 in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.[22]
On 12 January 2013, Hasanli was detained by police during a protest against non-combat deaths in the army, held at Fountain Square.[23] After a brief detention at the Sabail district police station[24], he was released the same evening and fined 600 manats under Article 298 of the Code of Administrative Offences.[25] Hasanli stated that participation in the protest did not constitute an administrative offence and therefore refused to pay the fine.[26] On 15 February, the Nizami District Court confiscated a mobile phone and a laptop allegedly belonging to Hasanli.[27] He stated that the items did not belong to him and that bailiffs seized them by force. He announced his intention to challenge this decision in court. Later, the court replaced the fine with 200 hours of community service.[28]
On 14 July 2013, at approximately 15:30, Hasanli was detained near the exit of Nizami metro station, close to the Baku Metro Police Department. According to Hasanli, two men in civilian clothes approached them, identified themselves as police officers, and claimed they were behaving “suspiciously.” Around 19:00, Hasanli and two other activists — Majid Marjanli and Kenan Gasimli — were taken from the Metro Police Department to an unknown location.[29] On 15 July, the Sabail District Court of Baku sentenced Hasanli, Marjanli, and Gasimli to 15 days of administrative arrest on charges of disobeying police orders. According to their lawyer, the court delivered the ruling without waiting for defense attorneys to arrive. Later that day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the arrests, stating that the activists had been detained for failure to comply with lawful police demands and that a protocol had been drawn up under Article 310.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences.[30]
According to activists from NIDA and Free Youth, the arrests were connected to the distribution of stickers across the city and metro bearing slogans such as: “You are the source of power”, “Do not fear the authorities”, “Resist the authorities” and “Change the government”.[31] On 19 July, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the 15-day administrative detention.[32] On 7 October 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Hasanli’s complaint regarding his July 2013 arrest, finding violations of: Article 6 (right to a fair trial), and Article 10 (freedom of expression). The Court ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay Hasanli €5,850 in compensation.[33]
On 9 September 2020, Hasanli was detained during a protest demanding the release of Tofig Yagublu.[34] He spent several hours at a police station and was later released.[35]
Participation in Elections (2015 and 2020)
A head of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 1 November 2015, the NIDA Civic Movement discussed nominating Ulvi Hasanli as a candidate. Hasanli stated that participation in the elections would contribute to increased civic engagement in Azerbaijan.[36] NIDA nominated Hasanli as its candidate in the Binagadi Second Electoral District No. 9. However, the Central Election Commission and the district election commission obstructed the registration of his candidacy. According to a statement by NIDA, pressure was exerted on citizens in the Rəsulzadə settlement, who had signed in support of Hasanli’s candidacy, forcing them to withdraw their signatures.[37]
On 12 October 2015, the district election commission officially refused to register Hasanli as a candidate.[38] The decision stated that out of 544 voter signatures, registration was denied based on: Written statements from 73 individuals claiming they had been deceived, and 61 signatures declared invalid due to authenticity concerns.[38] Hasanli appealed the decision to the Central Election Commission (CEC).[38] On 13 October 2015, the CEC upheld the decision, and Hasanli’s candidacy was not registered.[38][39] He subsequently challenged the CEC decision in court.[40]
On 27 December 2019, the “Movement” Electoral Bloc was established, with Hasanli participating in its creation.[43] The bloc included the D18 Movement, the NIDA Civic Movement, and former members of the REAL Party.[44] The bloc nominated Hasanli in the Binagadi Second Electoral District No. 9. The election in this district involved four main candidates, including a representative of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.[45][46]
According to official results, Hasanli finished ninth, receiving 446 votes (2.60%).[47]
Journalistic activity
Ulvi Hasanli is the director of AbzasMedia, an online news outlet founded in 2016.[48] According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, AbzasMedia is one of the few remaining independent media organizations in Azerbaijan following a series of raids and arrests targeting independent media and press freedom groups since 2014.[49] The outlet is known for its investigative reporting on the business dealings of government officials, including alleged corruption related to the post-2020 reconstruction efforts in the Karabakh region.[50]
Threats
Ulvi Hasanli has faced continuous persecution by the Azerbaijani government throughout his political activism.[51] In March 2011, he was detained during the "Böyük Xalq Günü" protest action.[52]
In September 2017, Hasanli underwent a medical examination related to mandatory military service and was granted a deferral until 2019 due to rheumatism and kidney problems. Despite this, he was summoned for re-examination in October 2017.[53] When he arrived at the hospital for the examination, he was detained by military police and transferred to the military commissariat, and subsequently sent to a military unit in Barda district.[54] Hasanli was not given prior warning about his conscription, nor was he allowed time to inform his family or settle his personal affairs.[55]
In November 2017, the Baku Court of Appeal, under the chairmanship of Judge Elshad Shamayev, reviewed a complaint filed by Hasanli regarding his unlawful arrest and his exposure to inhumane and degrading treatment and torture. However, the court dismissed the complaint.[citation needed]
In 2022, Hasanli was one of three journalists who publicly opposed a new media law requiring all media outlets in Azerbaijan to register with the state-controlled media registry. In June 2023, he was detained by police in the Binagadi District of Baku for reporting on the protests in Soyudlu village.[56] That same year, he was also briefly detained during a flash mob demonstration held by political activists in front of the U.S. Embassy in Baku.[57]
On 20 November 2023, AbzasMedia's editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi reported that Ulvi Hasanli had been detained at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. She stated that the arrest was politically motivated and directly linked to Hasanli's journalistic activities.[59] It was later revealed that Hasanli had been taken to the Main Police Department of Baku City.[60]
Police take Ulvi Hasanli away after a search of his home
Following his detention, Azerbaijani law enforcement officers raided AbzasMedia's Baku office, preventing staff and journalists from entering the newsroom. Authorities claimed to have discovered €40,000 in cash during the search, which AbzasMedia dismissed as planted evidence to fabricate smuggling charges against Hasanli.[61]
According to Hasanli, he was subjected to torture and physical abuse while in custody.[62] The outlet later stated that interrogators questioned him about investigations into corruption involving high-ranking state officials. Shortly afterward, Sevinj Vagifgizi was also detained by police at the airport.[63]
Hasanli was officially charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan – "smuggling on preliminary arrangement by a group of persons."
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