khadija ismayilova

New York, February 12, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to drop the criminal investigation of Emin Huseynov, journalist and media freedom advocate, and allow him to work and travel without harassment and fear of arrest.

Calls for journalists to exercise a sense of responsibility are very often code for censorship. Yet unethical journalism can also imperil the press. By Jean-Paul Marthoz

Top Developments • European Court orders release of Eynulla Fatullayev; government still jails editor. • News sites report periodic blocking, typically when sensitive stories are posted. Key Statistic 4: Journalists interrogated by security agents after running a statement from the jailed Fatullayev The authoritarian government of President Ilham Aliyev relied on imprisonments and an atmosphere…

Top Developments• Critical reporters jailed for defamation, “hooliganism.”• CPJ honors imprisoned editor Eynulla Fatullayev. Key Statistic 68: Novruzali Mamedov’s age when he died in prison after being denied medical care. Using imprisonment as a crude form of censorship, the authoritarian government of President Ilham Aliyev remained one of the region’s worst jailers of journalists. Authorities allowed one…

As European Games Near, EOC Leaders Should End Silence (Brussels, May 14, 2015) – The leadership of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) should insist that the government of Azerbaijan release journalists and activists ahead of the European Games, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Azerbaijan will host the games, a…

As Azerbaijan prepared to assume the 2014 chairmanship of the Council of Europe—the largest European intergovernmental human rights and democracy organization—the authoritarian regime of President Ilham Aliyev shamelessly trampled on press freedom at home. The authorities continued to stifle critical voices, target free expression on the Web, and sentence reporters to lengthy prison terms. A…