UN Special Rapporteurs called Baku to lift the ban on H.Ismaylova's departure from the country

Baku / 05.12.17 / Turan: Azerbaijani authorities should lift ban on foreign trips of investigative journalist Khadija Ismaylova and strengthen media independence in the country, reads the joint statement issued on December 5 by the UN special rapporteurs on freedom of expression, David Kaye and the situation of human rights defenders Michel Forst.

The statement says that Ismayilova was awarded a number of international prizes, but she could not attend the awards ceremonies. This ban suppresses the freedom of expression of a journalist and the purpose of this is to prevent a journalist from speaking abroad about human rights. Ismayilova several times appealed to the courts to lift the ban, but in vain.

"The actions of the authorities against Ms. Ismayilova go beyond the law. This is detrimental to her work and independent journalism in the country, "the statement said.

Ismayilova was arrested in December 2014, and in September 2015 she was sentenced to 7.5 years of economic charges. Ismayilova rejected accusations, and international organizations recognized her as a political prisoner.

Under pressure from the international community in May 2016, the Supreme Court replaced the real term of imprisonment by 3.5 years of probation with a probation period of five years. After that, she repeatedly appealed to the courts to leave the country in connection with her professional activities, but her requests were rejected. -06B-