Your trusted source

EminMilli, managing director of OCCRP partner Meydan TV, finds it ironic that Azerbaijan’s First Lady MehribanAliyeva is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador as Khadija Ismayilova receives the UNESCO award forrevealing extensive corruption connected to the Aliyev family, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

It is noted that Milli recently learned that 15 Meydan TV journalists are under criminal investigation.“People are afraid to do very basic journalistic activity because journalism is a crime in Azerbaijan. We are having two different Azerbaijanis in UNESCO today. How is it possible not to use this moment to address this issue directly with Goodwill Ambassador MehribanAliyeva and the president of Azerbaijan?” he emphasized.

Milli also added that MehribanAliyevacannot be the goodwill ambassador of UNESCO whileher husband keeps independent journalists getting the UNESCO prize in jail.

Meanwhile, Meydan TVpublished blogger OrkhanElgiz’s report on its website. The bloggeralso reminds that Azerbaijani president’s wife – the director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azerbaijani MP MehribanAliyeva-- is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Elgizstresses that investigative journalist and “prisoner of conscience” Khadija Ismayilova, who worked for the Azerbaijani service of the RFE/RL,was awardedthe UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on May 3. It is reminded that Ismayilova was awarded for investigating the large-scale corruption president Aliyev’s daughters were involved in. He highlights that the journalist is jailed for exposing the corruption linked to the presidential family and not for “those far-fetched and unproved forged accusations the court was guided by.”

“MP MehribanAliyeva, who is known for her charitable activities, has never asked in the parliament why Khadija Ismayilova was jailed for 7.5 years. International media writes about it, and it is impossible that the Azerbaijani first lady does not know about it. And this is not even a matter of charitybut elementary justice. Apparently, justice and charity exist only for those loyal to the hereditary presidents' family and its favorites in Azerbaijan; however, UNESCO does not care about it so much,”Elgiz writes noting that Ismayilova is not the only journalist jailed in the country for her professional activities.

Summing up, the author wonders, “Who does UNESCO support? Those who expand the press freedom investigating the authorities’ corruption affairs, like Khadija, or those authority officialswho jail the journalists in order to shut their mouths, like MehribanAliyeva?”

MeydanTV reports that during the UNESCO prize awards, the mother of the jailed Khadija Ismayilova, who was awardedfor her contribution to press freedom, read a letter written by the imprisoned journalist.

Ismayilova reminds in her letter that Guillermo Cano was a journalist killed in front of his paper's office.In all of his work, he was not afraid of voicing problems, he refused to compromise and sought justice. The journalist also writes in her letter that the same happened with the independent journalist ElmarHuseynov in Azerbaijan.

“I believe his work and his sacrifice must be honored here tonight.Elmar was the editor of an independent human rights magazine called The Monitor, which was unique in its simple journalistic mission to tell the truth about domestic developments in Azerbaijan.Elmarwas gunned down in front of his apartment on March 2, 2005. His wife and child were home when the shots were fired.There has been no investigation into his murder, no prosecution, no assignment of blame,” Ismayilova writes emphasizing that ElmarHuseynov's murder was one of the countless crimes against journalists that have met with impunity in Azerbaijan.

The journalist reminds that she speaks from her prison cell, and her crime was exposing corruption linked to Azerbaijani President IlhamAliyev and members of his family. “I remain alive to fight for justice, unlike my colleague and dear friend Elmar,” Ismayilova adds.

“Humanity suffers when journalists are silenced.This is why some people believe that the killing of journalists constitutes a crime against humanity. As you gather here tonight, I ask you not to laud my work or my courage, but to dedicate yourself to the work each one of you can do on behalf of press freedom and justice.You now have a relationship to Guillermo Cano, to ElmarHuseynov, and to me. We are all degraded and dehumanized by attacks on our fundamental rights, by contempt for justice, by disdain for fairness and denial of the truth. We, globally, brought together tonight to honor press freedom, must pledge to fight for it,” the jailed journalist highlights.

In its turn, the Caucasian Knot informs that  Ali Karimli, an Azerbaijani opposition politician and head of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, commenting Ismayilova’s letter, wrote on his Facebook that being a hostage of the Azerbaijani regime, she unpleasantly surprised the authorities. “She brought out a criminal case – ElmarHuseynov’s murder –to international level… She told the whole world that ElmarHuseyovhad been killed for his publications. I am sure that Khadija is the winner in the fight ‘regime vs Khadija Ismayilova’,”Karimli stated.

Meanwhile, Margaret Huang, interim executive director of Amnesty International USA, writes for the Huffington Post that the US president Barack Obama vowed that as long as he hold the office, his administration would“continue to fight for the release of American journalists.” In this regard, the author highlights that many journalists in countries that the United States considers allies face persecution and oppressions. It is also reminded that the Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova was jailed for exposing the corruption the Aliyev family was linked to, as reported above.

According to the Caucasian Knot, supporting the international organization Sports for Human Rights, famous international non-governmental organizations called to release the journalists and bloggers imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Their call was timed to World Press Freedom Day celebrated on May 3.

According to the information, the organizations called on the international community to increase attention on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan on the eve of the Formula One Grands Prix, which will be held in Baku on June 17-19. 

“The Azerbaijani independent media celebrate the World Press Freedom Day under pressure they have not ever faced before,” the statement signed by 18 organizations reads.

The authors of the statement condemn “the Azerbaijani authorities’ relentless crackdown on the independent media and other critical voices.”They call on the authorities to implement immediate and concrete stepsto improve freedom of expression in the country, starting with the unconditional release of UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize winner Khadija Ismayilovaand Azerbaijan’s other jailed journalists, bloggers, and other political prisoners.

It is highlighted that despite the recent release of 16 political prisoners, dozens remain jailed for political reasons. Among them are journalists NijatAliyev, ArazGuliyev, SeymurHezi; bloggers Abdul Abilov, FarajKarimov, Rashad Ramazanov, and IlkinRustemzade; and others “targeted in connection with exercising their right to freedom of expression, such as opposition Republican Alternative (REAL) movement leader IlgarMammadov.”

It is noted in the statement that the authorities’ pressure on journalist Khadija Ismayilova has been “particularly relentless.”She has been extensively targeted for exposing high-level corruption, topics recently brought into the spotlight again by the Panama Papers leaks.

It is also noted in the statement that the Azerbaijani authorities continue the practice of politically motivated arrests. Criminal cases against writer AkramAylisli and Meydan TV staff are particularly mentioned. 

“A diverse and pluralistic media is a hallmark of a democratic and progressive state. The renewed crackdown on Meydan TV, alongside repression of other critical media outlets, demonstrates the Azerbaijani government’s unwillingness to tolerate any criticism and a total failure to commit to systemic and genuine reforms that would enable freedom of expression for all,” Thomas Hughes, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, said.

It is also noted that other independent media and NGOs working to promote free expression have been targeted in recent years, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Baku bureau and the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety.

“The state completely dominates the broadcast media, and one of the few remaining critical newspapers, Azadliq, has been forced to suspend publication of its print edition and teeters on the brink of closure. Violent attacks against journalists – including murders – are committed with impunity, resulting in a climate of fear for the independent media,” the statement reads.

It is emphasized in the statement signed by 19 organizations that the Azerbaijani authorities should take the responsibility and follow the undertaken international obligations in human rights.

The website reports that the head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Center,ElshanHasanov, also shares his foreign colleagues’ concerns. “Even after the release of 20 journalists and activists, currently there are over 100 political prisoners in Azerbaijan.The international community should not weaken its attention to this problem until the last political prisoner is released,”Hasanov said.