"The request of the State Prosecutor in Baku to condemn Khadija Ismayilova to 9 years in prison is sad but expected news. Khadija is the latest victim of a long list of human rights defenders and journalists who have been selectively targeted by bogus charges and criminal prosecutions moved against them by a political system intolerant of criticism. I urge the judicial authorities to abide by the international standards which define the rule of law and to reject the Prosecutor's request and free Khadija Ismayilova. It would be the only way to start rebuilding trust towards Azerbaijan's justice system," the Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Mujnieks told Turan.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the monstrous sentence sought by the prosecution in journalist Khadija Ismayilova preposterous trial's in Azerbaijan, a nation that suffered one of the biggest falls of any country in RSF's 2015 press freedom.
According to the organization, the judicial sham will soon be over. After a series of hearings in which the defendant's rights were systematically flouted, a Baku prosecutor today requested a nine year sentence for Ismayilova.
"This is so obviously an absurd and outrageous political trial, a judicial sham that elevates this case into a symbol of the wave of persecution of independent media that began a year ago," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.
"We urge the international community to condemn this trial and to remind Azerbaijan of its obligations under the many international commitments it has given. Pressure must be put on this regime in order to obtain the unconditional release of Ismayilova and all the other journalists arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan. "Held partially behind closed doors, the trial has been conducted in a blatantly hostile manner with the clear aim of denying justice . In order to dispatch the case as quickly as possible, the judges accepted almost none of the defence lawyers' requests, thereby preventing them from presenting evidence that would have demonstrated the absurdity of the charges, RSF said.
The access of Ismayilova's family and friends to the courtroom has been restricted on the grounds that there has been no space. According to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, the courtroom was filled with people recruited for the occasion. The independent press has also been denied access.
Azerbaijan's leading investigative journalist, Ismayilova is well known for her coverage of high-level government corruption, much of it involving members of the ruling Aliyev family.
After several attempts to pressure and intimidate her, including a blackmail attempt with a sex tape, the authorities finally arrested her on December 5, 2014 on the trumped-up charge of inciting a fellow journalist to attempt suicide.
After he retracted his statement incriminating Ismayilova, the authorities brought four new charges against her - large-scale embezzlement, illegal trading, tax evasion and abuse of authority in connection with the Baku bureau of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, which Ismayilova once headed.
The speech by the prosecutor was also condemned by the representative of Human Rights Watch Hugh Williamson, calling for the immediate release of Ismayilova. -16D-
Politics
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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On August 30, at approximately 22:55, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant in Metsamor was disconnected from the country's power grid, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. The shutdown was caused by a lightning strike, which triggered the plant's safety systems to switch the station to a safe shutdown mode. Currently, the plant's staff is working on restarting the facility.
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