Khadija Ismayilova in prison: Charges against me are fraud, dirty black PR
Today arrested journalist Khadija Ismayilova called from the prison to her colleagues from the Azerbaijani service of "Radio Liberty". Speaking of her arrest, she said she knew that the Azerbaijani authorities will eventually pluck, Azerbaijani news agency "Turan" reports.
The article notes that Ismayilova expected that one day the authorities would not stand it anymore. It happened and she got arrested. “The charges against me are fraud, dirty and black PR. Despite all this, I am strong. I know that it’s not easy for you either. But do not be discouraged. Continue to work. It is important that each of you continued his work. I expect new investigations from my colleagues and new initiatives from human rights defenders. The work must continue," said Ismayilova.
"I am deeply concerned about the arrest of Ismayilova who was ruthlessly persecuted by the Azerbaijani government for her efforts to expose corruption in his country and for her work to protect the rights of political prisoners," this statement was made by the head of the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress Benjamin Cardin. A statement is published on the official website of Benjamin Cardin.
As noted in a statement the current charges against Ismayilova are strange and seem to have one goal – to shut another critical voice in Azerbaijan, which are very few.
"Ismayilova was supposed to appear before the Helsinki Commission on November 19, 2014, but she couldn’t leave the country by the decision of the authorities. The current charges against Ismayilova for incitement to suicide are an escalation of persecution, which it is exposed by the government for several years," said the head of the Helsinki Commission.
A well-known human rights organization "Reporters Without Borders" also demanded an immediate release of the Azerbaijani opposition journalist in its press release. The head of the German branch of the organization Christian Peace expressed concern about a new wave of repression in Azerbaijan. "Apparently, the Azerbaijani authorities are trying by all means to silence another prominent critic of the authoritarian regime," he said.
Johan Beer, the head of the "Reporters Without Borders” of Eastern Europe and Central Asia made a statement too. "We are outraged by these false accusations and unjust deprivation of liberty. Arrest of Khadija Ismayilova, the leader in independent investigative journalism in Azerbaijan is evidence that the authorities are more determined than ever, and have taken up the elimination of all the opposition," he said.
On December 5, morning, well-known Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova was detained after being questioned at the prosecutor's office. Baku Sabail District Court made a decision to detain her for two months. She was charged with incitement to suicide. If the fault of the journalist is proven, then she can be punished by a term of 3 to 7 years in prison. Khadija Ismayilova has become the target of attacks of the government for her journalistic activities. Ismayilova is an author of a number of journalistic investigations of corruption in the highest echelons of power in Azerbaijan. In recent years, she is conducting a talk show in the Azerbaijani Service of “Radio Liberty”.