11:28, 11 January 2019

ECtHR recognizes violation of Khadija Ismayilova's rights by Azerbaijani authorities

Khadija Ismayilova. Photo: Aziz Karimov (RFE/RL)

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has granted the complaint of the journalist Khadija Ismayilova against the authorities of Azerbaijan in the case of interference with her personal life. The ECtHR has also acknowledged the violation of her rights to the freedom of expression, and has ruled that compensation shall be paid out to her in the amount of 16,750 euros.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in March 2012, blackmailers posted a video on the Internet about Ismayilova's personal life. The video was filmed with a hidden camera in the bedroom of her apartment.

Since 2005, Ms Ismayilova has worked as a journalist and often criticized the Azerbaijani authorities, including reporting on alleged corruption in the president's family.

The ECtHR is investigating another Ismayilova's complaint, which concerns her arrest in 2014 within a criminal case and conviction to 7.5 years in prison. Under this case, she was conditionally released in 2016, but she was forbidden to leave the country.

The journalist herself is satisfied with the ECtHR's decision. The government failed to execute the first ECtHR's decision and blocked her bank accounts so that she could not receive the cash bonuses awarded to her by international organizations, Khadija Ismayilova has added.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 11, 2019 at 07:07 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent