Lawyer-human rights defender from Azerbaijan awarded British "Index on Censorship" Prize

Rashid Gadzhily, Director of the Azerbaijani Institute of Media Rights (IMR), became a laureate of the prestigious prize "Freedom of Expression" of the British human rights organization "Index on Censorship" in nomination "For Fight Against Repressions and Actions Towards Changing Political Climate". The awarding ceremony took place on March 25 in London.

The ceremony, hosted by the Royal Institute of British Architecture, was attended by more than 250 outstanding British public figures, patrons of arts and journalists, and foreign guests.

As stated in the press release of the "Index on Censorship", Mr Gadzhily was awarded for his active work in defence of arrested journalists' and bloggers' rights.

"I'm very proud to get this highly respected and prestigious reward in the field of defence and promotion of the freedom of expression. Regretfully, we have to ascertain that in many parts of the world this freedom, which is an integral attribute of democracy, experiences hardships," Mr Gadzhily said at the ceremony, reminding that Azerbaijan had also lived through serious developments in recent years.

"I accept this award on behalf of all courageous journalists of my country and all other countries who are at fight for the freedom of speech. This award is a support and inspiration in our work," said Gadzhily and expressed hope that joint efforts should allow overcoming the problems with the freedom of expression all over the world, including in Azerbaijan.