Congressman called for the release of H.Ismaylova and re-open a bureau of the "Radio Liberty"
The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives Edward Royce sent a letter to President Ilham Aliyev. The letter is about the closure of the Baku Office of "Radio Liberty" and the prosecution of the journalist Khadija Ismayilova.
"We want to express our concern about the damage to our bilateral relations, forced the closure of the Baku Office of the corporation "Free Europe / Radio Liberty"and the arrest of its leading journalist Khadija Ismailova," said the letter of 28 January.
Royce called the arrest of Ismayilova "a shining example of the continuing restrictions on human rights in Azerbaijan, including freedom of the press." Azerbaijan continued repressions against journalists criticizing the government. This is evidenced by recent conviction of the journalist Rauf Mirkadyrov on charges of espionage.
"I call on you to release Ismayilova and others arrested on questionable charges, and to permit the restoration of the Baku Office," says the congressman.
Khadija Ismailova was arrested on December 5, 2014. In September 2015, she was recognized guilty of committing a number of economic crimes, and was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
The leadership of the "Radio Liberty" believes that the journalist is punished for the investigation of business of the ruling elite. -06D--
Politics
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