On ludicrous charges of incitement to suicide, the Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova was sentenced to 2 months pre-trial detention today, Friday, 5 December 2014. This arrest indeed comes in the midst of an unprecedented repression against civil society in Azerbaijan, seeing one after another the leading human rights defenders fleeing the country or being arrested. A few even hide from charges brought against them. Khadija Ismayilova was arrested the day after the head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev published a lenghty article in which he directly calls NGOs the “fifth column.” He extensively refers to freedom of expression organisations, as well as Meydan TV with which Khadija Imsayilova has cooperated. Ramiz Mehdiyev in the article specifically also calls Khadija Ismayilova out as “wishing to please her foreign bosses.” We hope you can all reach out to the international community, your contacts in media and within other NGOs to push for the immediate and unconditional release of Khadija Ismayilova, and other human rights defenders, journalists and activists detained in the country or who are in hiding. More information about the unprecedented repression in Azerbaijan is also available in the article: humanrightshouse.org/Articles/20612.html.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 22:16:07 +0000
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