This post originally appeared on PEN International’s website.
January 20, 2016 – PEN International, ARTICLE 19, International Media Support (IMS), the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) submitted a third party intervention to the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova on January 19, 2016.
The written comments address the implications of the sentencing of Khadija Ismayilova for freedom of expression in Azerbaijan – placing her conviction in the context of increasing repression of journalists, the media and freedom of expression in Azerbaijan, and outlines how this conflicts with the special protections for journalists and the media under international law. This latest clampdown on journalists, the media and civil society should be understood as the most serious threat to freedom of expression in the country’s recent history.
Ismayilova, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison in September 2015, after being convicted of charges that PEN International believes are retribution for her reports on corruption involving senior government officials.
Read the full submission here.
For more information contact Sarah Clarke, International Policy and Advocacy Manager: [email protected] | 0044 (0)207 405 0338