The OSCE representative and international structures condemned the persecution of Kh. Ismailova

Baku/14.08.19/Turan: OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Arlem Desir expressed concern over the decision of the Azerbaijani Supreme Court on August 7 in the case of journalist Khadija Ismayilova.

The court refused to satisfy Ismayilova"s appeal to cancel the probationary period assigned to her earlier and lift the ban on her going abroad.

"The restriction on leaving the country is a serious restriction on the rights and professional activities of a journalist," Desir wrote on his Twitter microblog.

Pen America and Freedom House also made statements condemning the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan for the persecution of Khadija Ismayilova.

* Khadija Ismayilova, known for journalistic investigations into corruption, was arrested in December 2014 and subsequently sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on charges of economic crimes. In May 2016, the Supreme Court replaced her with a real term of 3.5 years" probation, with a trial period of five years. In August 2016, the Baku Court of Appeal reduced the suspended sentence to 2 years and 3 months, leaving the trial period unchanged. -16B-