Source: Contact.az
Khadija Ismailova’s appeal hearing over a criminal libel case was postponed indefinitely on May 12, 2015. Ismailova entered her sixth month of pretrial accused of incitement to suicide, embezzlement, tax evasion and a flurry of other charges largely dismissed by rights groups as political.
Ismailova was welcomed with applause as she entered the Baku Appeal Court on May 12. Addressing Judge Gail Mammadov, she stated that she was not allowed to speak her lawyer. The judge responded that the question was not within his competence.
Ismailova’s lawyer, Yalcin Imanov told
Turan News Agency
that he was prohibited from meeting with the journalist in jail under the pretext that he was a witness in a criminal case involving Radio Azadliq. Imanov argued that this ban was groundless.
When asked by a Turan News Agency reported what message she wanted to convey to her fellow journalists, Ismailova said: “Hold on tight. I am waiting for you to produce good investigative journalism. I’m holding on strong so do not worry about me. ”
