26 May 2016, 09:05
Khadija Ismayilova intends to continue her journalistic investigations
Khadija Ismayilova, released from detention by the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan, is ready to continue working as a journalist and struggling for the liberation of her colleagues and other activists. Meanwhile, the journalist does not agree with the court verdict and intends to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
Khadija Ismayilova has become known for her investigations of corruption in the higher echelons of Azerbaijani state. In 2014, she was detained on charges of incitement to a suicide attempt of her colleague Tural Mustafaev. Later, she faced a number of economic charges. Ismayilova refused to plead guilty. On September 1, 2015, a court in Baku sentenced her to 7.5 years of imprisonment.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 25, 2016, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan replaced her sentence to imprisonment with 3.5 years of conditional sentence with a probation period of five years. In the evening of May 25, the journalist was released.
When Khadija Ismayilova arrived from the penal colony to her home, she met at the gates a large group of her colleagues and public activists, who cheered her with enthusiasm.
Khadija Ismayilova responded to several questions asked by journalists.
When asked the question concerning her further professional intentions, Khadija Ismayilova answered: "I will continue my job from the point at which I was stopped."
According to the journalist, the authorities supposed that the criticism would decline after her arrest, but they failed.
"The authorities believed that they would reduce the criticism by arresting me. However, thanks to my colleagues, they did not stop their activities, but further enhanced their efforts. After my arrest, more journalistic investigations were carried out," noted Khadija Ismayilova.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
