{"id":169808,"date":"2015-09-04T06:56:05","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T06:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/"},"modified":"2021-10-29T12:35:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T08:35:35","slug":"international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/","title":{"rendered":"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n
\n International organizations and government officials have roundly condemned the jailing of Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, who was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis sentence strikes yet another blow to respect for human rights and adherence to democracy and the rule of law in Azerbaijan,\u201d said Nils Mui\u017enieks, Council of Europe\u2019s commissioner for human rights.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cKhadija Ismayilova pays for her courageous work as investigative journalist in a country where critical voices are muzzled one after the other.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Only a handful of diplomats and observers had been able to attend the trial, which began in late July.\n<\/p>\n

\n Ismayilova, who wrote numerous hard-hitting stories on corruption in Azerbaijan, was convicted of embezzlement, tax evasion, running an illegal business, and abuse of power.\n<\/p>\n

\n The journalist insists she is being imprisoned for her investigative work and that the charges lodged against her are fabricated, an assessment backed by civil society groups and media freedom organizations.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n Amnesty International\u2019s
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n \u00a0deputy director for Europe and Central Asia, Denis Krivosheev, said that the trial had relied on the aggressive application of draconian laws \u2013 an argument made by Ismayilova herself in
\n
\n
\n
\n her defiant final statement
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n \u00a0to the court Monday.\n<\/p>\n

\n Said Krivosheev: \u201cThe government has stepped up its brutal crackdown on political activists, journalists, human rights defenders – indeed anyone who dares to publicly raise a critical voice.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile Dunja Mijatovic, media freedom representative for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, called the verdict unjust, saying it was a \u201cclear signal that the authorities are continuing to silence critical voices in Azerbaijan.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Adding his voice to the outcry was Kenneth Roth, executive director of\u00a0Human Rights Watch, who called for the sentence to be overturned.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe outrageous verdict against Khadija Ismayilova shows the Azerbaijani authorities\u2019 willingness to subvert the law to exact revenge against critics,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

\n Joining Roth was the United Kingdom\u2019s Minister for Europe, David Lidington, who
\n
\n
\n
\n expressed deep concern
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n \u00a0at the ruling.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe call on Azerbaijan to abide by its international commitments to respect the rule of law while taking concrete steps to improve their human rights record,\u201d said Lidington.\n<\/p>\n

\n Until her arrest on Dec. 5, 2014, Ismayilova hosted a popular program on Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty\u2019s Azerbaijani service and worked as a senior investigator for OCCRP.\n<\/p>\n

\n Her journalism included major exposes of graft and improper business links of those in the close circle of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, including his family members.\n<\/p>\n

\n In the summer of 2014, Ismayilova wrote about the Azerbaijani telecom industry,
\n
\n
\n
\n revealing the previously hidden involvement of President Aliyev\u2019s daughters
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n In response to her jailing, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) launched
\n
\n
\n
\n The Khadija Project
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n \u00a0to finish her work.\n<\/p>\n

\n A network of reporters was quickly able to show that a company close to President Aliyev and his family had likely walked off with more than US$ 1 billion in a takeover of the Azerbaijani state\u2019s stake in Azercell Telecom, the country\u2019s largest mobile
\n
\n
\n
\n operator
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n During Ismayilova\u2019s incarceration, reporters have continued Ismayilova\u2019s work, and additional stories are in the works.\n<\/p>\n

\n The latest story, published today, details the First Family\u2019s use of super-luxury yachts owned by the
\n
\n
\n
\n State Oil Company of Azerbaijan
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n The article was originally published by
\n
\n
\n OCCRP
\n <\/a>
\n .
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International organizations and government officials have roundly condemned the jailing of Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, who was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":31982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInternational Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist - MEYDAN.TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist - MEYDAN.TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"International organizations and government officials have roundly condemned the jailing of Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, who was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MEYDAN.TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-04T06:56:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-29T08:35:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/12032.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"304\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"user-manager\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"user-manager\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a\"},\"headline\":\"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-04T06:56:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-29T08:35:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":550,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/12032.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/\",\"name\":\"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist - MEYDAN.TV\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/12032.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-04T06:56:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-29T08:35:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/12032.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/12032.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":304},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/section\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"MEYDAN.TV\",\"description\":\"Meydan TV Az\u0259rbaycan\u0131n media m\u0259kan\u0131ndak\u0131 alternativ s\u0259sidir\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Meydan TV\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/meydan-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/meydan-logo.svg\",\"width\":195,\"height\":46,\"caption\":\"Meydan TV\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a\",\"name\":\"user-manager\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist - MEYDAN.TV","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist - MEYDAN.TV","og_description":"International organizations and government officials have roundly condemned the jailing of Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, who was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/","og_site_name":"MEYDAN.TV","article_published_time":"2015-09-04T06:56:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-29T08:35:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":304,"url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/12032.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"user-manager","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/"},"author":{"name":"user-manager","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a"},"headline":"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist","datePublished":"2015-09-04T06:56:05+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-29T08:35:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/"},"wordCount":550,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/12032.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/","name":"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist - MEYDAN.TV","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/12032.jpg","datePublished":"2015-09-04T06:56:05+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-29T08:35:35+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/12032.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/12032.jpg","width":500,"height":304},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/international-outcry-at-7-year-jail-sentence-for-azerbaijan-journalist\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f","item":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/section\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"International Outcry at 7-Year Jail Sentence for Azerbaijan Journalist"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/","name":"MEYDAN.TV","description":"Meydan TV Az\u0259rbaycan\u0131n media m\u0259kan\u0131ndak\u0131 alternativ s\u0259sidir","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#organization","name":"Meydan TV","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/meydan-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/meydan-logo.svg","width":195,"height":46,"caption":"Meydan TV"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a","name":"user-manager"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169808"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214680,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169808\/revisions\/214680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}