Joint Statement: Anniversary of journalist Khadija Ismayilova’s arrest highlights Azerbaijani regime’s unprecedented repression in 2015

On the eve of the anniversary of thearrest of journalist Khadija Ismayilova, members of the Sport for Rights coalitionand the Civic Solidarity Platform underscore the unprecedented nature of therepression that has taken place in Azerbaijan in the year that has passed. Thegroups reiterate their call for the immediate and unconditional release ofIsmayilova and Azerbaijan’s other political prisoners, and for theinternational community to take steps to hold the Azerbaijani governmentaccountable for its human rights obligations as matter of urgent priority.

"Ismayilova's arrest a year ago signalledan escalation of repression in Azerbaijan", noted KarinDeutsch Karlekar, Director of Free Expression Programs at PEN American Center. "Independent voices are being silencedat an unprecedented rate, and we urge the authorities to cease the legal andextra-legal harassment of journalists and media outlets immediately”.

On 5 December 2014, prominentinvestigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova was arrested on charges of incitinga local man, Tural Mustafayev, to attempt suicide. Two months later,authorities slammed her with additional politicised charges of embezzlement,illegal business, tax evasion, and abuse of power. After eight months inpre-trial detention, Ismayilova’s trial started on 7 August at the Baku Courtof Grave Crimes.

Ismayilova referred to the proceedingsas an “express trial”, and observers noted it was rife with due processviolations, with the judges rarely granting any motions made by the defence.During the trial, Mustafayev publicly told the court that prosecutors forcedhim to make a statement against Ismayilova, and withdrew his accusations.Additionally, Ismayilova’s lawyer told the court that her employer did notreport any funds missing, that she was not authorised to hire or dismiss otherjournalists, and that she was not engaged in any commercial enterprise.

On 1 September, the court convictedIsmayilova of the charges of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship, taxevasion, and abuse of office, and sentenced her to 7.5 years’ imprisonment. She was acquitted of the charge of inciting Mustafayevto attempt suicide. On 25 November, the Baku Court of Appeals upheld this conviction,and Ismayilova was transferred to Prison Number 4 on 27 November.

Sport for Rights considers the charges againstIsmayilova to be politically motivated and connected to her work as aninvestigative journalist, particularly her exposure of corruption among theruling elite. Sport for Rights believes that in jailing Ismayilova, theAzerbaijani authorities sought to silence her critical voice before the countryfaced increased international media attention during the inaugural European Games, which took placein Baku in June. For this reason, Sport for Rights has referred to Ismayilovaas a “Prisoner of the Games”.

“Ismayilova’s imprisonment is emblematic ofthe Azerbaijani authorities’ repression of independent journalists and humanrights defenders”, said Melody Patry, Senior Advocacy Officer at Indexon Censorship. “Every day Ismayilova andthe other political prisoners spend in jail is another reminder to the worldthat the Azerbaijani government fails to respect and protect the democraticprinciples and fundamental rights it has committed to upholding”.

Ismayilova is one of dozens ofpolitical prisoners in Azerbaijan. Other prominent cases include journalists Nijat Aliyev, Araz Guliyev, Parviz Hashimli, Seymur Hezi,Hilal Mammadov, Rauf Mirkadirov, and Tofig Yagublu; bloggers Abdul Abilov,Faraj Karimli, Omar Mammadov, Rashad Ramazanov, and Ilkin Rustamzade; humanrights defenders Intigam Aliyev, Rasul Jafarov, Taleh Khasmammadov, AnarMammadli, Arif Yunus, and Leyla Yunus; NIDA civic movement activists RashadatAkundov, Mammad Azizov, and Rashad Hasanov; opposition activist YadigarSadikhov; and opposition REAL movement chairman Ilgar Mammadov.

Besides politically motivatedarrests and imprisonment, the Azerbaijani authorities continue to employ a widerange of tactics as part of an aggressive crackdown to silence the country’sfew remaining critical voices. Independent online television station Meydan TVhas been a particular target, with its staff and their relatives threatened,detained, and otherwise pressured in connection with Meydan TV’s critical newscoverage of Azerbaijan. Other independent NGOs and media including theInstitute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety and its online television projectObyektiv TV, as well as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Baku office, havealso been aggressively targeted over the past year.

In addition to the post-EuropeanGames crackdown, the Azerbaijani authorities also worked to silence criticismahead of the 1 November parliamentary elections. For the first time, theelections took place with almost no credible international observers, and withthe majority of the traditional opposition boycotting. Independent domesticobservers reported widespread fraud, such as carousel voting and irregularitiesin the vote counting and tabulation process. Now, in the run-up to the FormulaOne European Grand Prix, which will take place in Baku in June 2016, thecrackdown shows no signs of relenting.

These issues and more are detailedin a new Sport for Rights report, No Holds Barred: Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Crackdown in Aliyev’s ThirdTerm, which also contains specific recommendations to the Azerbaijani authoritiesand the international community on urgent measures needed to improve the direhuman rights situation in the country. Sport for Rights and the CivicSolidarity Platform particularly urge the international community to sustainfocus on Azerbaijan over the coming months, when critical voices will needconcrete support more than ever before.

Supporting organisations:

ARTICLE 19

Association of Ukrainian Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement

Canadian Journalists for FreeExpression

Center for Civil Liberties(Ukraine)

Centre for the Development ofDemocracy and Human Rights (Russia)

Civil Rights Defenders

Committee to Protect Journalists

Crude Accountability

Freedom Now

Front Line Defenders

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association

Golos Svobody Public Foundation(Kyrgyzstan)

Human Rights House Foundation

Human Rights Movement"Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan"

Index on Censorship International Federation for HumanRights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatoryfor the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

International Partnership for HumanRights

Kazakhstan InternationalBureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law

KharkivRegional Foundation- Public Alternative(Ukraine)

Kosova Rehabilitation Centre forTorture Victims

Norwegian Helsinki Committee

PEN American Center

People In Need

Platform

Promo-LEX (Moldova)

Public Verdict Foundation(Russia)

Reporters Without Borders

Sova Center for Informationand Analysis (Russia)

World Organisation Against Torture(OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human RightsDefenders