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.