November 24, 2024 01:35 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Mahayuti routs MVA in Maharashtra, INDIA retains Jharkhand; Priyanka's triumphant poll debut | How can Mahayuti win over 200 seats? Sanjay Raut cries foul over Maharashtra mandate | 'Third World War has begun:' Ex-Ukraine military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny | UK-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations to resume in early 2024 | UK can arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits country based on ICC warrant
UN human rights chief deplores continuing civil society crackdown in Azerbaijan

UN human rights chief deplores continuing civil society crackdown in Azerbaijan

| | 09 Sep 2015, 09:43 am
New York, Sep 9 (IBNS): Condemning the recent imprisonment of journalist and human rights activist Khadija Ismayilova, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced his concern on Tuesday over the ongoing targeting and suppression of civil society and independent voices in Azerbaijan.

“Despite my repeated calls to the highest State authorities, including the President himself, undue pressure, harassment and intimidation against journalists, human rights defenders and activists by State authorities continue to be reported in Azerbaijan,” said Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

“I call for the immediate release of all those who have been deprived of their liberty simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly as well as for defending the rights of others,” he said.

According to reports, Ismayilova’s prosecution may have been connected to her work as an internationally recognized investigative journalist reporting on human rights violations and corruption in Azerbaijan.

On 1 September, she was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison on charges of embezzlement, tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship and abuse of office.

Ismayilova’s trial gave her inadequate time for consultation with her lawyers, with limited public access to hearings, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR). Motions filed by her defence were often rejected.

It allegedly failed to meet international fair trial standards.

“Ms. Ismayilova’s sentencing is just the latest example of the crackdown on independent voices in the country. Azerbaijani authorities have already jailed a number of other journalists, human rights defenders and activists, including Leyla and Arif Yunus, Intigam Aliyev, Anar Mammadli and Rasul Jafarov, on different questionable charges,” said the High Commissioner.

He also noted that his office continues to receive troubling reports of the deteriorating health of several of those imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release them on humanitarian grounds.

Photo: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia 22 Mar 2023, 02:56 pm
Related Videos