Azerbaijani detained journalist Ulviyya Guliyeva: “My safety is in question, and the authorities bear responsibility for anything that happens to me”
On 27 August 2026, the mother of the journalist Ulviyya Guliyeva (also known as Ulviyya Ali), raised concerns for her daughter’s safety being held at Baku Pretrial Detention Center. Guliyeva’s detention is part of a wider crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan, where dozens of journalists have been imprisoned since late 2023. This includes the nine Toplum TV journalists and media workers who were unjustly sentenced to up to 15 years in prison on 27 July 2026. Among them is Toplum TV co-founder Alasgar Mammadli, who has reportedly been denied medical care following cardiac episodes and an untreated thyroid growth.
The EFJ reiterates calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure the safety of the imprisoned journalists, including Ulviyya Guliyeva, and for their immediate release.
Guliyeva was first arrested on 7 May 2025 alongside journalist Ahmad Mammadli, in a case the EFJ-IFJ condemned at the time, including reports that she was beaten during the arrest. Guliyeva, a contributor to Voice of America, had been under a travel ban linked to the criminal case against Meydan TV, despite both Guliyeva and Meydan TV stating publicly that she had never worked for them.
Since 22 August, according to Guliyeva’s mother, the journalist has been held in a cell with a woman charged with murder, who has reportedly said she committed the crime in a state of passion and has not undergone the psychiatric or psychological examination the family says pretrial detention centers are obliged to carry out. The mother explains she has repeatedly asked to have Guliyeva moved and has contacted the Ombudsman’s Office and the Penitentiary Service, without response.
The family is demanding that Guliyeva’s safety be assessed and guaranteed, and that she be held in safe conditions. Speaking to her family by phone about her current cell placement and the risks she says she now faces, Guliyeva reportedly said:
“I connect this to the interview I did with Igbal Abilov and to my protest over the ventilation system at the Baku Pretrial Detention Center. I face biased treatment because of what I have written and the protests I have made from prison. A few months ago they placed with me a person who cut herself in front of my eyes. Their aim is to subject me to psychological and moral torture. My safety is in question, and the authorities bear responsibility for anything that happens to me.”
Guliyeva has written letters and conducted several interviews from detention.
“The continued detention and mistreatment of journalists and media workers in Azerbaijan is extremely worrying. Guliyeva’s case must be seen in light of this wider crackdown, and stands as a powerful testimony from behind bars. The Azerbaijani authorities must end this policy of arrests and mistreatment against journalists, and release all those still detained,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez.
The Independent Media Promoting Accountability, Community, and Trust in European Democracy (IMPACT) project will run from 1 January to 31 December 2026 and is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the EFJ only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
