Azerbaijan frees prominent investigative journalist
Azerbaijan has ordered the release of a prominent investigative journalist known for her campaign against corruption.
Azerbaijan's top court ordered the release of Khadija Ismayilova, who was jailed on corruption charges last year, on Wednesday, said her lawyer Fariz Namazly.
“Azerbaijan's Supreme Court threw out Ismayilova's initial seven-and-a-half-year sentence and handed her a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence,” Namazly said, adding, “We expect her to leave the prison later in the evening.”
A court convicted Ismayilova for economic crimes in September 2015. The award-winning journalist and her supporters denounced the charges as politically-motivated.
The anti-graft crusader, who is regarded as Azerbaijan's most prominent opposition journalist, became known in the country for her probe into the wealth of President Ilham Aliyev and his family.
International rights groups and Western governments have condemned Ismayilova's imprisonment, calling for her release.
Ismayilova once served as bureau chief for the local service of a major US-funded media outlet.
The London-based Amnesty International has called the 39-year-old journalist a “prisoner of conscience.”
Azerbaijan has been criticized by rights groups for its heavy-handed crackdown on dissent as reports indicate that at least 80 people are in prison in the country for political charges. Aliyev has ignored criticisms.
Last December, Azerbaijan’s security forces launched a series of deadly raids on religious gatherings, accusing people of involvement in terror activities. Officials confirmed that the raids, which led to multiple arrests, were under the direct supervision of Aliyev.
The Aliyev family has ruled Azerbaijan with an iron fist since independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
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