Azerbaijani GPO explains the ban on Khadidja Ismailova to leave the country by the need to question her

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan has introduced temporary restrictions on leaving the country for the journalist Khadidja Ismailova in connection with the investigation of a criminal case, in which she is a witness.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on October 12 Khadidja Ismailova could not fly from Baku to Prague to the international conference "Forum-2000".

Currently, the court is considering a claim lodged against Khadidja Ismailova by Elman Gasanov, a former member of the "Classic" Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), also known as Elman Tyurkoglu. He claims that the journalist had slandered him by disseminating a material stating his collaboration with secret services with the aim to undermine the opposition from within.

The temporary restriction on Khadidja's travels has to do with the investigation of the above case, a source from the GPO told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"There is a need to further interrogate Khadidja Ismailova as a witness; her participation is also required in other investigative actions. For this reason, a temporary ban has been introduced on her travels abroad,"- said the source.

Ismailova herself claims that she learned about the GPO's ban from the media. She treats the ban as unjustified: "Under the legislation, a witness cannot be prohibited from leaving the country."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.