25 May 2016
Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court has ordered that RFE/RL journalist Khadija Ismayilova be released from custody after reducing her prison term from 7 1/2 years in custody to a suspended term of 3 1/2 years.
The court made the decision on May 25 after hearing an appeal by the journalist.
“This is a great day for Khadija, and for all journalists and for free speech everywhere,” RFE/RL Editor in Chief Nenad Pejic said. “We are overjoyed for Khadija and her family and can’t wait for her to get back to work.”
The Baku court’s decision is “truly great news,” U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Rick Stengel said on Twitter.
“This is the right decision by the court in Baku,” said Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “The AIB has followed this story constantly and has campaigned for Khadija’s release and for the trumped up charges against her to be dropped. We look forward to seeing Khadija reunited with her family and friends.”
The court reversed Ismayilova’s convictions on charges of misappropriation of property and abuse of position, but upheld her convictions for illegal entrepreneurship and tax evasion.
Ismayilova was not in court at the time. Her lawyer, Fariz Namazly, told AFP that “we expect her to leave prison later in the evening.”
Ismayilova was detained in December 2014 and sentenced in September 2015. Western governments and international press-freedom groups have called for her release.
3 December 2015
On December 5, 2014, investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova was arrested by Azeri officials on charges that are widely recognized as retribution for her reporting on corruption among Azerbaijan’s leadership. In September, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
RFE/RL marks Ismayilova’s first year behind bars with an RFE/RLive Hangout that will provide an update on her case, and discuss developments relating to investigative journalism in the former Soviet states, including tools reporters are using and the efforts of those in policy positions to support them. A new initiative sponsored by RFE/RL and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project that aims to continue Ismayilova’s work will be announced.
RFE/RLive: Khadija Ismayilova’s First Year in Prison
and the Investigative Journalism Landscape in Eurasia
Friday, December 4, 2015
Washington, D.C.–11:00 a.m. / Prague–5:00 p.m.
Join the event live on YouTube,
and on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #RFERLive
Johann Bihr is the Head of Eastern Europe & Central Asia at Reporters Without Borders. He graduated from Paris’s Sorbonne University in 2007 with a degree in International Relations, and has worked for humanitarian NGOs in Central Asia.
John M. Donnelly joined Congressional Quarterly in 2004 and is now a senior writer, covering defense and foreign policy issues. He worked previously at Defense Week, where he won many awards for investigative journalism. He has written for numerous other publications, from the Los Angeles Times to the Economist magazine, and has been featured on broadcast news programs, including ABC World News Tonight and NBC’s Meet the Press. Donnelly has been active in the leadership of the National Press Club since 2001 and chairs its Press Freedom Committee. In June 2015, the National Press Club awarded Khadija Ismayilova its John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. He also served on the Standing Committee of Correspondents of the U.S. Congress, which accredits reporters. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Ilkin Mammadov, the Director of the Azerbaijani Service, joined RFE/RL in 2004, where he has covered major news events for the Service while playing a lead role in launching several of its signature programs on FM, TV, and the web. Prior to joining RFE/RL, he worked for Internews-Network and for several local TV stations in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mammadov holds an MBA degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baku State University.
Kyle Parker is a member of the senior professional staff of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he oversees the Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Prior to his service in Congress, Kyle spent eight years on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe focusing on democracy, rule of law, and human rights in the post-Soviet space. From 1998 to 2006, Kyle worked in the non-profit sector promoting relations with the countries of the former Soviet Union through high-level political exchanges and Track II diplomacy.
Drew Sullivan is the director and editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an organization he founded together with investigative reporting centers, media outlets, and reporters from a dozen countries. In 2004, he founded the Center for Investigative Reporting in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and served as its editor and first director before the center became an independent, locally run organization. He also founded the Journalism Development Network, an innovative media development organization with programs in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Sullivan was a reporter or editor on work that won the Online Journalism Award for investigative reporting, the first- ever Global Shining Light Award, and other prizes.
Daisy Sindelar (Moderator) is RFE/RL’s European Regional Director. She specializes in the examination of ordinary people and the challenges they encounter living in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and is particularly interested in the problems facing women, children and minorities. Based in Prague, she has also reported from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Source: RFE/RL press release)
2 September 2015
The Association for International Broadcasting has expressed its condemnation of the seven and a half year jail sentence imposed on Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova.
“The sentence marks a new low in Azerbaijan’s treatment of the country’s journalists and civil society,” commented Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “The AIB has observed continuing harassment of those who attempt to provide Azerbaijan citizens with unbiased information. Broadcasters such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – for whom Khadija worked – have had their offices in Baku closed. Unsubstantiated charges have been brought against RFE/RL and its staff, and against other journalists working in Azerbaijan. The AIB believes that Khadija’s sentencing is entirely politically motivated and we call on the country’s authorities to quash the sentence.”
Azerbaijan is, according to a number of international non-governmental organisations, one of the worst countries in the world in terms of press freedom and free expression. There have been repeated cases involving the jailing of journalists and members of civil society organisations.
The state’s case against Khadija Ismayilova centred on tax evasion, illegal business and embezzlement. No substantive evidence was produced during the trial, illustrating the flimsy nature of the prosecution.
AIB will be taking up the issue with the Azerbaijan authorities.
5 December 2014
Khadija Ismayilova, a prominent investigative journalist who contributes to RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, has been sentenced by a court in Baku to two months of pretrial detention, on charges of causing a man to attempt suicide.
RFE/RL Chief Editor Nenad Pejic ridiculed the new set of charges, which come one day after Azeri Presidential Chief of Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev, Chief of Staff to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, issued a 60-page statement accusing Ismayilova of “defiance” and displaying a “destructive attitude toward well-known members of the Azerbaijani community” which “pleases [her] patrons abroad.” The statement adds that RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service is on a “disgusting path,” and its employees work “for a foreign secret service.”
“The arrest and detention of Khadija Ismayilova is the latest attempt in a two-year campaign to silence a journalist who has investigated government corruption and human rights abuses in Azerbaijan. The charges brought against her today are outrageous. Khadija is being punished for her journalism,” Pejic said.
Pejic added that Mekhdiyev’s statements were dangerous and reckless, and could be perceived as a threat against other RFE/RL Azerbaijan I Service employees.
The OSCE’s representative on freedom of the media, Dunja Mijatovic, condemned Ismayilova’s arrest, saying, “The arrest of Ismailova is nothing but orchestrated intimidation, which is a part of the ongoing campaign aimed at silencing her free and critical voice.”
Ismayilova has been under a travel ban imposed by Azeri authorities in connection with opaque charges of defamation that prevented her from testifying at the U.S. Congress in November at a hearing on corruption.
Ismayilova, who also works with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, has reported extensively on the financial activities of family members of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. Ismayilova has been targeted by the ruling party’s press and threatened with physical harm and arrest since 2012. In February, official media accused her of spying for the United States after she met with U.S. Senate staffers in Baku.
About RFE/RL
RFE/RL is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 21 countries, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). (Source: RFE/RL press release)
22 January 2018
Under the theme of ‘SHABAB2030’ (‘Youth 2030’), the latest edition of “MBC AL AMAL” yearly event took place Sunday at the Palazzo Versace in Dubai. The annual awards by MBC Group aim at supporting and promoting sustainable development, creative youth projects and entrepreneurship in the region – as well as enabling students from low-income backgrounds a chance at pursuing higher education.
The 2018 ceremony was attended by notable guests from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), represented by Toby Howard, Head of UNHCR office in the UAE, as well as the World Food Programme (WFP). Several partners, specialists, social activists and other VIP guests were also in attendance.
Hosting leading institutions in the region, entrepreneurs, creative visionaries and small and medium-sized enterprises – all distinguished by their tireless work towards social, humanitarian and youth initiatives – the “MBC AL AMAL” awards included three segments: Part one of the event was dedicated to honouring MBC AL AMAL partners from humanitarian and other non-profit organisations.
This was followed by the announcement of the winners of the ‘SHABAB2030’ project, which aims at encouraging young people all over the Arab world to get involved in creative, innovative and sustainable projects that can change the world for the better. Last but not least, the final segment of the event saw five female students awarded the Soraya Al-Salti University Scholarship. Named after the late Jordanian activist, this scholarship – managed by Newton Education Services – offers a number of fully-funded and partial scholarships for Arab women looking to pursue a master’s degree in various fields, for up to two years. The total value of the grant is $100,000, which was this year distributed equally to the five winners.
CEREMONY AND AWARDS
Sam Barnett, CEO of MBC Group delivered an opening speech welcoming guests and thanking them for being “partners and pioneers of hope”. He stressed the importance of individual and youth initiatives in activating the economic cycle, in addition to the necessity of supporting development projects pertaining to empowering the younger generation and building a better future for them. He also noted the “importance of broadcasting positive spirits, keeping the torch of hope lit despite wars, crises and obstacles to promoting diversity.”
MBC AL AMAL PARTNER WINNERS
- Education for Employment (EFE): Received by Andrew Baird, CEO, EFE Global.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): Received by Toby Howard, Head of UNHCR office in the UAE.
- Generations for Peace (GFP): Received by Dr. Mohanned Al-Arabiat, GFP Board Member and President.
SHABAB2030 WINNERS
The ten winners were chosen after presenting their projects to a committee of prominent investors and major companies in the region. This pitch, in association with “MBC AL AMAL”, was held with the aim of finding the projects with the most potential to scale.
- Ahmed Al Azzouzi, Toufoula Kids (Tunisia)
This mobile application specialises in Arabic-language educational content aimed at children in pre-school and school.
- Afnan Ali, Eureka (Jordan)
Specialising in tech-education, this academy prepares children to become engineers or tech-entrepreneurs through comprehensive multi-level programmes.
- Ahmed El-Murtada, SIMPAY (Sudan)
A start-up that provides online-market places, crowd-funding sites, and small platform-oriented businesses with applications to seamlessly facilitate easier and faster payment-processing.
- Amira Cheniour, SEABEX (Tunisia)
An agricultural e-monitoring and smart automation system that helps farmers make better use of available resources, such as water and energy, to produce larger quantities that are of better quality.
- Hassan Al-Balawi, Wakecap (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Focusing on utilising wearable technology products to improve safety and productivity at construction and industry sectors.
- Mostafa Kandil, SWVL (Egypt)
This private alternative to public transportation enables individuals taking a journey in the same direction to share a ride during rush hour for a flat fare. The carpool-style system increases efficiency for all involved.
- Layal Jebran, Moubarmij (Lebanon)
A platform that provides high-quality educational programmes online, focusing on Arabic tutorials in video form.
- Ahmad Al-Hidiq, Salamtak (United Arab Emirates/Palestine)
The code name for an initiative launched under HeyDoc!, this telemedicine platform connects patients with doctors, no matter the location.
- Khaled El-Nems, E-Rain Gate (United Arab Emirates/Egypt)
A venture that controls irrigation systems via small electronic networks. This prevents systems from flooding during heavy rain or storms.
- Hashim Al Zaabi, Wavex (United Arab Emirates)
Combining features that promote renewable and sustainable solutions, this project carries out crowd-funding for renewable projects, as well as energy transactions via blockchain.
SORAYA AL-SALTI UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
- Irene Baghdadi (Egypt): Sustainable Development
- Khadija Radwan (Egypt): Design and Project Management
- Lynn Sharbatly (KSA): Law
- Mayada Sabry (Jordan): Communication Disorders
- Mariam Al-Nahrawi (Egypt): Geological Sciences.
Finally, the event’s entertainment was provided courtesy of the much-loved Palestinian singer, Yacoub Shaheen – best known as the 2017 “Arab Idol” – who presented the choir “Sonbola”, comprised of refugee children with outstanding musical talents.
(Source: MBC press release)
