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Azerbaijan frees journalist whose case raised outcry in West
Source: Reuters
World | Wed May 25, 2016 7:07pm EDT
Azerbaijan frees journalist whose case raised outcry in West
BAKU | BY NAILIA BAGIROVA AND MARGARITA ANTIDZE
Azerbaijan on Wednesday released investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova from jail, where she was serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence, in an apparent move to deflect Western criticism of the ex-Soviet republic's human rights record.
Ismayilova, who worked for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe and was known for exposing corruption among Azerbaijan's ruling elite, was sentenced last September on charges which included embezzlement, illegal business activities and tax evasion.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday amended her imprisonment to 3 1/2 years of suspended sentence and released her from prison.
She vowed to continue to fight to clear her name. "I will continue to fight until complete acquittal," Ismayilova told reporters after her release. "I will also continue to work as a journalist."
Ismayilova's investigative journalism had probed the business dealings of President Ilham Aliyev and his family as well as human rights abuses.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Azerbaijan frees journalist whose case raised outcry in West
BAKU | BY NAILIA BAGIROVA AND MARGARITA ANTIDZE
Azerbaijan on Wednesday released investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova from jail, where she was serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence, in an apparent move to deflect Western criticism of the ex-Soviet republic's human rights record.
Ismayilova, who worked for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe and was known for exposing corruption among Azerbaijan's ruling elite, was sentenced last September on charges which included embezzlement, illegal business activities and tax evasion.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday amended her imprisonment to 3 1/2 years of suspended sentence and released her from prison.
She vowed to continue to fight to clear her name. "I will continue to fight until complete acquittal," Ismayilova told reporters after her release. "I will also continue to work as a journalist."
Ismayilova's investigative journalism had probed the business dealings of President Ilham Aliyev and his family as well as human rights abuses.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-azerbaijan-journalist-idUSKCN0YG1RN
[font size=1]RFE/RL Journalist Khadija Ismayilova walks out of prison, after her sentence is reduced, May 25, 2016. (Photo: VOA Azeri Service)[/font]
Source: Voice of America
Azerbaijani RFE/RL Journalist Ismayilova Released From Prison
VOA News
Last updated on: May 25, 2016 7:49 PM
Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova has been released from custody following a decision Wednesday by the country's Supreme Court.
Ismayilova, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter and an award-winning investigative journalist who published findings on the vast assets of the family of President Ilham Aliyev, was sentenced in 2015 to seven years in prison on charges of tax evasion and abuse of power in what many say were politically motivated charges.
The Supreme Court, in its order Wednesday, cut her sentence in half, reducing it to 3½ years, which she will now be allowed to serve at home.
John Lansing, CEO and director of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, welcomed her release as a "positive development for the people of Azerbaijan and a step forward for press freedom."
"I call on the Azerbaijan authorities to lift her travel restrictions, and I urge that her release be accompanied by a relief from the harassment, surveillance and intimidation that she suffered prior to her detainment," he added.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
VOA News
Last updated on: May 25, 2016 7:49 PM
Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova has been released from custody following a decision Wednesday by the country's Supreme Court.
Ismayilova, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter and an award-winning investigative journalist who published findings on the vast assets of the family of President Ilham Aliyev, was sentenced in 2015 to seven years in prison on charges of tax evasion and abuse of power in what many say were politically motivated charges.
The Supreme Court, in its order Wednesday, cut her sentence in half, reducing it to 3½ years, which she will now be allowed to serve at home.
John Lansing, CEO and director of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, welcomed her release as a "positive development for the people of Azerbaijan and a step forward for press freedom."
"I call on the Azerbaijan authorities to lift her travel restrictions, and I urge that her release be accompanied by a relief from the harassment, surveillance and intimidation that she suffered prior to her detainment," he added.
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Read more: http://www.voanews.com/content/rferl-journalist-khadija-ismayilova-freed/3345159.html
