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END REPRESSION OF AZERBAIJAN'S LEADING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
October 14th, 2014
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety resolutely condemns the
campaign against Azerbaijani investigative journalist Khadija Ismayil,
and calls on the authorities to end this harassment immediately.
The criminal defamation lawsuit brought against Khadija Ismayil in
a private prosecution case, the accusations of treason published in
the pro-government media (cooperation with Armenia), and her recent
detention at Baku Airport are clear indicators that her arrest may
be imminent.
Most recently, the Prosecutor General's Office has imposed a travel
ban on Khadija Ismayil, prohibiting her from leaving the country. As
a consequence, she was unable to fly to Prague on October 12, to take
her place at the international Forum 2000 conference. She was informed
by border officials at Baku Heydar Aliyev Airport that the Prosecutor
General's Office has imposed a ban on her departure from the country.
However, she has not been presented any court decision in relation
to the travel ban.
Imposing a travel ban without any legitimate grounds interferes with
Ismayil's professional work as a journalist and constitutes a flagrant
violation of her right to freedom of movement, enshrined in the
European Convention of Human Rights, ratified by Azerbaijan in 2002.
By taking action in relation to defamation charges against a journalist
at a time when it chairs the Committee of Ministers of the Council of
Europe (CoE), the Azerbaijani government is demonstrating once again
its unwillingness to fulfill its pledge to decriminalize defamation,
a commitment it made upon accession to the CoE.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety notes that Khadija
Ismayil is being targeted for her investigations into high-level
corruption involving the family of President Ilham Aliyev, her
determined advocacy for official transparency, and her work in
informing the international community about the situation of human
rights, particularly freedom of expression, in Azerbaijan.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety reminds the
international community that the past two months have seen
unprecedented human rights violations by Azerbaijani officials. There
are more than 10 journalists and bloggers behind bars; there has been
a wave of arrests of human rights defenders; organizations defending
media freedom have been shutdown. The government's repressive policy
in the field of human rights could hardly be more evident.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety emphasizes that the
freedoms of expression and information are protected under a number
of international treaties and legal instruments signed and ratified
by Azerbaijan, inter alia the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Article 19), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(Article 19) and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 10).
The UN Human Rights Council's recent resolution on the safety of
journalists has strongly condemned all cases of attacks and violence
against journalists, including harassment and intimidation.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety calls upon the
President Aliyev to take concrete steps to eliminate the assault on
freedom of expression and to decriminalize defamation, reminding him
of his constitutional responsibility as the guarantor of the rights
of citizens.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety calls on international
organizations, particularly the Council of Europe and the OSCE,
to take a firm stand and put more pressure on the government of
Azerbaijan to fulfill its obligations related to freedom of expression,
and specifically to demand the immediate adoption of the draft law
decriminalizing defamation.
http://www.irfs.org/news-feed/end-repression-of-azerbaijans-leading-investigative-journalist/
October 14th, 2014
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety resolutely condemns the
campaign against Azerbaijani investigative journalist Khadija Ismayil,
and calls on the authorities to end this harassment immediately.
The criminal defamation lawsuit brought against Khadija Ismayil in
a private prosecution case, the accusations of treason published in
the pro-government media (cooperation with Armenia), and her recent
detention at Baku Airport are clear indicators that her arrest may
be imminent.
Most recently, the Prosecutor General's Office has imposed a travel
ban on Khadija Ismayil, prohibiting her from leaving the country. As
a consequence, she was unable to fly to Prague on October 12, to take
her place at the international Forum 2000 conference. She was informed
by border officials at Baku Heydar Aliyev Airport that the Prosecutor
General's Office has imposed a ban on her departure from the country.
However, she has not been presented any court decision in relation
to the travel ban.
Imposing a travel ban without any legitimate grounds interferes with
Ismayil's professional work as a journalist and constitutes a flagrant
violation of her right to freedom of movement, enshrined in the
European Convention of Human Rights, ratified by Azerbaijan in 2002.
By taking action in relation to defamation charges against a journalist
at a time when it chairs the Committee of Ministers of the Council of
Europe (CoE), the Azerbaijani government is demonstrating once again
its unwillingness to fulfill its pledge to decriminalize defamation,
a commitment it made upon accession to the CoE.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety notes that Khadija
Ismayil is being targeted for her investigations into high-level
corruption involving the family of President Ilham Aliyev, her
determined advocacy for official transparency, and her work in
informing the international community about the situation of human
rights, particularly freedom of expression, in Azerbaijan.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety reminds the
international community that the past two months have seen
unprecedented human rights violations by Azerbaijani officials. There
are more than 10 journalists and bloggers behind bars; there has been
a wave of arrests of human rights defenders; organizations defending
media freedom have been shutdown. The government's repressive policy
in the field of human rights could hardly be more evident.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety emphasizes that the
freedoms of expression and information are protected under a number
of international treaties and legal instruments signed and ratified
by Azerbaijan, inter alia the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Article 19), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(Article 19) and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 10).
The UN Human Rights Council's recent resolution on the safety of
journalists has strongly condemned all cases of attacks and violence
against journalists, including harassment and intimidation.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety calls upon the
President Aliyev to take concrete steps to eliminate the assault on
freedom of expression and to decriminalize defamation, reminding him
of his constitutional responsibility as the guarantor of the rights
of citizens.
The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety calls on international
organizations, particularly the Council of Europe and the OSCE,
to take a firm stand and put more pressure on the government of
Azerbaijan to fulfill its obligations related to freedom of expression,
and specifically to demand the immediate adoption of the draft law
decriminalizing defamation.
http://www.irfs.org/news-feed/end-repression-of-azerbaijans-leading-investigative-journalist/