Spotted #KhadijaIsmayil leaving jail today via ayselumudova's photo https://t.co/QZstE4j9eh
— Arzu Geybulla (@arzugeybulla) 25.5.2016
as we celebrate release of #KhadijaIsmayil just in that another #N!DA member was detained today together with photojournalist Elnur Mukhtar
— Arzu Geybulla (@arzugeybulla) 25.5.2016
#KhadijaIsmayil says no one can stop her from continuing her work after release #FreeKhadija https://t.co/h3pKVCNnPG
— Arzu Geybulla (@arzugeybulla) 25.5.2016
Khadija Ismayilova: "No one can stop me!"
Khadija Ismayilova speaks shortly after her release today about her future plans:
"They [the regime] thought by arresting me criticisms [against Azerbaijan] will decrease. But it didn't work. So, I thank my journalist colleagues for not stopping the work. Contrary, it only strengthened. After my arrest more stories were published and more investigations were done about hidden offshore companies. I thank my colleagues for doing this work and I thank both colleagues here in Azerbaijan and abroad.
I also thank human rights defenders and my lawyers for defending the rights of all political prisoners and not just mine.
Now, that I am out, I am more informed about prison realities. And our defense case also made us more prepared to fight with the non-existing justice system in Azerbaijan.
I think this experience will help us make more quality based work.
Journalism, even in repressive countries like Azerbaijan is not licensed. And no one can ban me from doing my journalism work. This is not true and there is no such thing mentioned in the court decision.
As for my holding a position, I have no intentions to hold any high ranking positions, and I have never had before. I have never wanted to have a higher position. I have always wanted to work as a journalist, and this is what I do, will do and no one can stop me from that. Even in a repressive country like Azerbaijan, where mechanisms to ban journalists from doing their work are still limited although they are headed in this direction.
I will continue my work. And as for leaving the country, I don't have to because the world is small especially thanks to the Internet. Even while I was in jail my work was published and they were unable to stop this from happening. Now imagine, I am no longer in jail, I am home, I have access to Internet, who can stop me?