Barack Obama does not go past jailed Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova’s photo in UN
A photo of Barack Obama watching a banner with the photo of Khadija Ismayilova, a journalist sentenced to 7 years in prison in Azerbaijan, was posted on the official White House Twitter account
Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az reports that Khadija Ismayilova was included in Free 20 campaign, which calls for the release of 20 women – journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists jailed in different countries across the world. The U.S. mission to the UN posted online the political prisoners’ photos every day. All 20 photos were demonstrated on a big banner by the time the world leaders arrived at the annual UN meetings. “Obama stopped right before that banner, apparently looking into Khadija Ismayilova’s face,” Haqqin.az writes.
According to the portal, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, had earlier stated that they aimed to draw the world leaders’ attention to the problem of human rights violations with that campaign. “None of those arriving in New York and passing along the First Avenue can fail to see the pictures of those 20 women,” she said.
On 1 September 2015, Baku Court of Grave Crimes handed down a 7.6 years prison sentence to the Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova. The court found her guilty of the Articles 179 (embezzlement and misappropriation), 192 (illegal business), 213 (tax evasion) and 308 (abuse of power) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Ismayilova was cleared from the article 125 (incitement to commit suicide) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Earlier, the public prosecutor, RamazanHadiyev, had claimed 9 years of imprisonment for Khadija Ismayilova.
Related:
International community calls Khadija Ismayilova a martyr who got under skin of Aliyev regime
Int’l response: Verdict against Khadija Ismayilova is Azerbaijan authorities’ revenge against critics
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