“Radio Liberty” informs that today during the court session held in the Court of Grave Crimes of Baku the prosecutor demanded to sentence investigative journalist and radio host working for the Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty Khadija Ismayilova to 9 years of imprisonment. The trial goes on behind closed doors. Azerbaijan ambassadors of France, Norway and Sweden and a group of journalists were not let to attend the trial, and they were waiting for news at the street. As they say Khadija Ismayilova smiled hearing the prosecutor’s motion to sentence her to 9 years of imprisonment. The next court hearing was set on 26 August.
39-year-old Ismayilova, who has been detained since December 2014, reported extensively on official corruption and financial dealings of Azerbaijani officials including the president, Ilham Aliyev, and his family. Khadija Ismayilova is on charges of libel, tax evasion, illegal business activity and abuse of power.
Ismayilova and her supporters say the charges against her are politically motivated and are a form of retribution for her extensive reporting on the financial dealings of the president, Ilham Aliyev, and his family.
Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova smiled hearing the prosecutor’s motion to sentence her to 9 years of imprisonment
