Press Release: Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova sentenced to 7.5 years in jail

PRESS RELEASE - THE OBSERVATORY

Geneva-Paris,September 1, 2015 – The sentencing of prominentinvestigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova to 7.5 years in prison was handeddown today before the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. Arbitrarily detained sinceDecember 5, 2014, her conviction is based on trumped-up charges and aims atpreventing her from carrying out her legitimate activities, the Observatory forthe Protection of Human Rights Defenders said today.

On September 1, 2015,the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Ms. Khadija Ismayilova to 7,5 years imprisonment on charges of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship, taxevasion, and abuse of office. On August 21, the Prosecutionhad demanded for her 9 years of jail.

Internationallyrecognised independent reporter[1] and journalist of the Azerbaijani radio Azadliq (“RadioFreedom”), Ms. Ismayilova was arrested on December 5, 2014 on charges of"inciting" her ex-partner "to commit suicide". Although inApril 2015 the alleged victim retreated his accusations, claiming his testimonywas given under pressure, blackmail and torture, the prosecution did not takeit into account and maintained the charges. In February 2015, Ms. Ismayilovawas further accused of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion andabuse of office. During the hearings, no evidence of these accusations waspresented.

The crackdown on civil society, going on in Azerbaijansince last year, has recently seen other prominent human rights defenderssentenced on similar trumped up charges: Mr. Rasul Jafarov and Mr. IntigamAliyev sentenced in appeal respectively to 6.3 and 7.5 years of jail, andMs. Leyla Yunus and Mr. Arif Yunusov sentenced by a lower courtrespectively to 8.5 and 7 years in prison[2].

“This is only the last of a series of recent politically motivatedlong-term convictions handed down against the most prominent Azeri human rightsdefenders.It is time for the international community to strongly take a stand againstthis systematic judicial repression and harassment of human right defenders inAzerbaijan”, said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.

Moreover, Ms.Ismayilova’s trial that opened on July 24, 2015, fell short of internationalhuman rights standards on fairness oftrial. The hearings were held in a semi-closed format, denying access tojournalists, observers and diplomats. She was kept in glass cage during thehearings and all the motions filed by the defence were denied. Hereby theprinciples of equality of arms and the presumption of innocence were violatedalong with the independence of the judiciary and transparent judicialproceedings. The same pattern characterized all trials against humanrights defenders over the past months.

“We are extremely concerned by the outrageous sentences that arebeing handed down against the most prominent independent civil societyrepresentatives in the country and we call upon the Azeri authorities toimmediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders arbitrarilydetained, and to drop all charges against them, since they only aim atsanctioning their legitimate human rights activities”, added FIDH President Karim Lahidji.

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OBS) was created in1997 by FIDHand the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedysituations of repression against human rights defenders.

For more information,please contact :

• FIDH: Lucie Kroening (French / English / Arabic)- Tel: +33 1 43 55 25 18 (Paris)
• OMCT: Miguel Martín Zumalacárregui (French /English / Spanish) - Tel: +41 22 809 49 24 (Geneva/Brussels)

[1] She won severalinternational prizes, among which the Gerd Bucerius Free Press of EasternEurope Award by Zeit-Stiftung on May 24, 2012, the Courage of Journalism Awardby the Washington-based International Women’s Media Foundation on October 24,2012, and the Global Shining Light Award on October 14, 2013.

[2] See Observatory Press Releasesof July 23, July 31 and August 13,2015, on http://www.omct.organd https://www.fidh.org