The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

Azerbaijan: investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova sentenced to 7.5 years

AzerbaijanRSF rank: not recorded

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

A Baku court convicted investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova on business and tax charges and sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison, in a case CPJ said was payback for her reporting on official corruption.123

What happened

Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist known for reporting on corruption involving the family of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, was arrested in Baku on December 5, 2014, after prosecutors brought a series of charges against her covering embezzlement, an unlicensed business, tax evasion and abuse of power. On September 1, 2015, a Baku court convicted her on those charges and sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison. CPJ said it had determined the charges to be payback for her reporting and called the trial a farce, though it warned the consequences were serious for her and for Azerbaijani journalists generally. Ismayilova denied all the charges throughout the proceedings. In May 2016, Azerbaijan's Supreme Court converted her prison term to a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence and ordered her released, after she had spent about 538 days in custody.123

Closed; Ismayilova was released in May 2016 with a suspended sentence.3

What reason was given

Stated justification

Not stated in the sources reviewed.2

What changed for reporting

Ismayilova's imprisonment removed one of Azerbaijan's most prominent investigative reporters from active work for a year and a half and signaled to other journalists the risk of reporting on the president's family.123

Timeline

2015

1 September 2015
Azerbaijan: investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova sentenced to 7.5 years

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
Ilham AliyevotherPresident of Azerbaijan

Outlets and journalists

NameKindRelation
Khadija Ismayilovajournalistaffected

Sources

  1. CPJ condemns 7.5-year prison term for Khadija IsmayilovaCommittee to Protect Journalists, 2015-09-01, reporting. Source record
  2. Azerbaijani reporter Khadija Ismayilova ordered releasedCommittee to Protect Journalists, 2016-05-25, reporting. Source record
  3. Azerbaijan journalist Khadija Ismayilova jailed in BakuBBC, 2015-09-01, reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. The court's verdict and sentence.convicted Khadija Ismayilova...of illegal business, tax evasion, abuse of power, and embezzlement, and sentenced her to seven and a half years in prisonCPJ condemns 7.5-year prison term for Khadija Ismayilova, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2015-09-01.Claim 665, checked 2026-09-22.
  2. CPJ's assessment of the motive behind the prosecution.CPJ has determined the charges to be retaliation for Ismayilova's reporting on corruption in the Azerbaijani government.CPJ condemns 7.5-year prison term for Khadija Ismayilova, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2015-09-01.Claim 666, checked 2026-09-22.
  3. Description of the May 2016 Supreme Court decision.The court converted Ismayilova's jail term into a three-and-a half-year suspended termAzerbaijani reporter Khadija Ismayilova ordered released, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-05-25.Claim 667, checked 2026-09-22.