10:27, 24 December 2018

OSCE condemns persecution of journalist Khadija Ismayilova

Khadija Ismayilova. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

The persecution of journalist Khadija Ismayilova in Azerbaijan is detrimental to the freedom of expressing one's opinion in the country, Arlem Desir, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 14, 2017, Ms Ismayilova learned about the blocking of her account at the "Kapitalbank".

Khadija Ismayilova is known for her investigating corruption in Azerbaijan. In September 2015, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on charges of economic crimes. In May 2016, the Supreme Court replaced the term for 3.5 years of conditional imprisonment.

Mr Desir has recalled that the court had obliged Ismayilova to pay a fine in the amount of more than 23,000 euros for non-payment of taxes during her work as the head of the local bureau of Radio Liberty. Ismayilova said that she was not responsible for the finances of Radio Liberty.

Khikmet Gadjizade, the head of the FAR Centre for Political and Economic Researches, is sure that Ismayilova is prosecuted for her investigations of corruption among the ruling elite of Azerbaijan.

According to his story, the authorities continue their repressive criticism, despite the condemning statements of international organizations. He believes that only sanctions imposed by the West can seriously affect the local rulers.

"However, now there are so many problems in the world that the West has no time for the democracy in Azerbaijan," said the expert.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 23, 2018 at 11:34 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent