Caucasus
RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service Baku Staff Win 2015 Burke Award
The staff of the Baku bureau of RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Radio Azadliq, have been honored with the 2015 David Burke Distinguished Journalism Award for exceptional integrity and…
One Year After Ismayilova Arrest, Bill Proposes Sanctions on Azerbaijan
One year since Azeri authorities raided and shut RFE/RL’s Baku bureau and imprisoned prominent contributor Khadija Ismayilova, U.S. Representative Chris Smith has introduced a landmark bill denying U.S. visas to…
One Year On, Imprisoned Azeri Journalist Remains Defiant, Inspires New Work
On December 5, prominent journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova will mark her first year in prison on charges that are widely regarded as retribution by Azeri authorities for her…
Azerbaijan Targets Another RFE/RL Reporter
Police in Baku have ransacked an apartment and seized equipment belonging to an RFE/RL free-lancer in the latest incident in an unrelenting campaign targeting the country’s independent press.
In Blow to Independent Media, Azerbaijan Sentences Ismayilova to 7 1/2 Years
A Baku court today sentenced investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova to seven and a half years in prison on charges widely believed to be retribution for her reporting…
National Press Club Honors Azeri Journalist
Today, the National Press Club presented its highest press freedom prize to jailed Azeri investigative reporter and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova.
U.S. Senators Deplore Azerbaijan’s “Politically Motivated Arrests,” Call For Ismayilova’s Release
A group of 16 U.S. Senators, led by Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), addressed Azeri President Ilham Aliyev with growing concern about “a systematic crackdown on human rights and…
RFE/RL Takes Action In Azerbaijan
RFE/RL has closed its Baku bureau, after Azeri authorities sealed the office shut last December in connection with a government-led campaign against foreign organizations.
Azeri Journalist’s Jail Sentence Extended on Eve of European Games
An Azeri court ruled on May 14 to extend the imprisonment of Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor who was jailed last December in what is widely viewed…
Imprisoned Azerbaijani Journalist Khadija Ismayilova Wins PEN Award
Jailed Azerbaijani investigative reporter and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova has been awarded PEN American Center’s 2015 Barbara Goldsmith Freedom To Write Award, given annually to “an imprisoned writer persecuted for…