Azerbaijan/USA: National press club to honor Ismayilova, Rezaian
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Azerbaijan/USA: National press club to honor Ismayilova, Rezaian, 19 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4a1e.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 19, 2015
By RFE/RL
The Washington, D.C.-based National Press Club has announced that it will honor Azerbaijani reporter Khadija Ismayilova with a press freedom award in July.
Ismayilova, who has reported for RFE/RL, has been jailed since December 2014 on charges that independent observers such as the Committee to Protect Journalists have called bogus.
A second award will go to Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter based in Tehran, who has been jailed for nine months without trial.
Ismayilova is well known for hard-hitting reporting on the financial dealings of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and alleged corruption in his government.
She is one of nine reporters being held in Azerbaijan on trumped-up charges, according to human rights groups.
Club President John Hughes noted that Azerbaijan will draw world attention as it hosts the European Games in June.
"We hope the world will be mindful...of the plight of reporters and others in Azerbaijan who are merely exercising basic human rights of self-expression," he said.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
