Journalists around the world are under attack like never before. Repressive criminal and civil laws, threats, harassment and violence are used against journalists to stifle critical reporting. The num...
Khadija Ismayilova
Khadija Ismayilova, an award-winning investigative journalist known for deep investigations into corruption by the Azerbaijani Presidential family, was the target of a systematic smear campaign comprising threats, intimidations and gross violations of her privacy designed to prevent her from pursuing her journalistic work. She was arrested in 2014 on a trumped-up charge of inciting a former colleague to commit suicide. Her pre-trial detention was routinely extended and in 2015, she was additionally charged with large-scale embezzlement, illegal trading, tax evasion and abuse of authority. A Baku court sentenced her to 7.5 years in prison. She was released in 2016 but continues to be subject to a travel ban. She will therefore speak at the festival via Skype.
For a detailed list of the legal rulings from 2013 to 2019 involving Khadija, including the January 2019 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, see this PEN America post.
Two women, two stories of denied rights, persecution, and the price that authoritarian regimes impose to those who seek truth and fight for freedom of expression. Maryam Al-Khawaja is an activist who...
