On January 16, Peter Michalko, the head of the Delegation of the European Union in Azerbaijan, stated, "I was appalled by the news about the degrading treatment of some recently arrested journalists in Azerbaijan, especially the young women who were handcuffed, put in glass cages or deprived of their basic human needs in the courtroom." He added, "Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect."

On the same day, the United States reiterated its call for the government of Azerbaijan to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly emphasizing freedom of expression. State Department expressed deep concern over the recent arrests of journalists, civil society activists, and opposition figures in Azerbaijan, with over ten individuals being detained in the past two months. The State Department representative emphasized the ongoing call for the government of Azerbaijan to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens, including the freedom of expression.

In response to the statement made by Peter Michalko, Aykhan Hajizada, the head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, argued that Azerbaijan's judicial system was constructed based on the best international practices. Hajizada criticized Michalko's claim, deeming it both baseless and irresponsible. He urged the ambassador to take note of the perceived lack of justice and poor treatment within the judicial systems of certain European Union countries.

Hajizada asserted, "This claim is both baseless and irresponsible! It would be good for the ambassador to pay attention to the lack of justice and bad treatment in the judicial systems of some countries of the European Union. Interference with the judicial system of Azerbaijan built based on the best international practices is unacceptable."

Recently, journalists Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifqizi, Hafiz Babali, Mahammad Kekalov, Nargiz Absalamova were arrested in November-December 2023, and Elnara Gasimova was arrested on January 13 on charges of foreign currency smuggling in the case of Abzas Media Internet publication. They deny the charges.