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2024, 22 Noyabr, Cümə, Bakı vaxtı 14:42
Khadijas trial cartoon
Khadijas trial cartoon

Khadija Ismayilova's Sentence Suspended After Supreme Court Decision

Khadija Ismayilova was arrested December 5, based on article 125 of the Criminal Court (inciting to suicide).

On May 25, following Supreme Court Decision journalist Khadija Ismayilova's sentence was suspended. Acquitted of article 179 (appropriation) and 308 (abuse of power), Ismayilova is still facing charges of illegal entrepreneurship, and tax evasion.

On September 1, the Baku Court for Grave Crimes sentenced Khadija Ismayil to 7 years and 6 months in jail. She was acquitted for the "incitement to attempt suicide" charge and found guilty on charges of tax evasion, embezzlement and misappropriation, abuse of power, and illegal enterpreneurship.

On February 23, under the decision handed by the Binegedi District Court Judge Sedreddin Haciyev, investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova was found guilty based on the article 147.2 of the Criminal Code (slander). She was fined in the amount of 2,500Manat.

On February 13, Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General Office issued a series of additional charges against an award- winning investigative reporter Ismayilova. She is facing up to 19 years if convicted for embezzlement, tax evasion, illegal business and abuse of power.

On January 27, Sabail District Court ruled to keep Khadija Ismayil in jail for another two months. On February 5, her two-months sentence was going to finalize.

Azerbaijani government claimed there were no political motives in Ismayilova's case.

Azadliq Radio believes Ismayilova's arrest is the result of her work, investigating illegal businesses of Azerbaijani government officials.

Ismayilova, journalist and host of daily show After Work was arrested December 5 by the order of the Sabail District Court of Baku on charges brought by the prosecutor office.

She was sentenced to two months of pre-trial detention based on Article 125 of the Criminal Code (inciting to suicide) on December 5.

Her apartment was searched on December 6.

This is live blog of RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service with the most recent updates on the case.

NOTE*: Timestamps are local time in Baku

19:15 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?

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