Pretended thaw in Azerbaijan

On 25 May 2016, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan conditionally released Khadija Ismailova, the most famous Azeri journalist both domestically and abroad. Ismailova had reported for the Azeri section of Radio Free Europe and the BBC, among others. She was imprisoned in December 2014, and in mid-2015 sentenced to seven and a half years’ imprisonment, for alleged tax fraud among other charges. The journalist, who is renowned for her uncompromising attitude and courage, has been the Azeri authorities’ target for years: in 2012, they attempted (unsuccessfully) to blackmail her over the disclosure of intimate recordings. Directly after her release Ismailova announced she would be returning to work.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova freed in Azerbaijan http://www.europeansources.info/record/investigative-journalist-khadija-ismayilova-freed-in-azerbaijan/

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