Khadija Ismayilova

Khadija Ismayilova
Xədicə İsmayılova
Ismayilova in 2016
Born
Khadija Rovshan qizi Ismayilova

(1976-05-27) 27 May 1976 (age 48)
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityAzerbaijani
AwardsRight Livelihood Award

Khadija Rovshan qizi Ismayilova (Azerbaijani: Xədicə Rövşən qızı İsmayılova, pronounced [xædiːˈdʒæ ismɑˈjɯlovɑ]; born 27 May 1976), alternatively spelled Ismailova, is an Azerbaijani investigative journalist and radio host who is currently working for the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, until recently as the host of the daily debate show İşdən Sonra. She is a member of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.[1]

Ismayilova has been targeted by Ilham Aliyev's authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan for her reporting on financial corruption among Azerbaijan's ruling elite.[2][3] In December 2014, Ismayilova was arrested on charges of incitement to suicide, a charge widely criticized by human rights organizations as ludicrous.[4] On 1 September 2015, Ismayilova was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison under charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.[5] On 25 May 2016, the Azerbaijani supreme court ordered Ismayilova released on probation.[6] In December 2017, Ismayilova received the Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as "Alternative Nobel Prize", "for her courage and tenacity in exposing corruption at the highest levels of government through outstanding investigative journalism in the name of transparency and accountability."[7] Ismayilova was not allowed to travel from Azerbaijan to Sweden to receive the award.

  1. ^ "Khadija Ismayilova". International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  2. ^ "The Spyware Threat to Journalists". The New Yorker. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova pushes through persecution to uncover corruption in Azerbaijan". Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Azerbaijan arrests one more critical voice, Khadija Ismayilova". Human Rights House. 5 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Azerbaijan journalist Khadija Ismayilova jailed in Baku". BBC. 1 September 2015.
  6. ^ Walker, Shaun (25 May 2016). "Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova freed in Azerbaijan". the Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Travel ban stops courageous investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova from receiving 2017 Right Livelihood Award". The Right Livelihood Foundation. Retrieved 21 November 2020.