A Baku appeals court today ordered the conditional release of an Azerbaijani journalist sentenced in December to six years in prison on a spurious treason charge. Rauf Mirgadirov was arrested in April 2014 at Baku’s Heydar Alivev Airport after being abruptly deported from Turkey, where had worked as a correspondent for two Azerbaijani newspapers. The […]

Azerbaijan’s government needs to end an ongoing campaign of repression against journalists and others, which has led to the detention and investigation of several journalists in recent weeks, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. The past month has seen a surge in the number of journalists detained for questioning by Azerbaijani authorities – including […]

The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned an Azerbaijan court’s decision sentencing investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova to seven-and-a-half years in prison on charges of criminal libel, tax evasion, illegal business activity and abuse of power. Ismayilova, a contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) who has been behind bars since she was detained in December 2014, […]

We, the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), express our concerns over the recent wave of vexatious lawsuits against the investigative portal Network for Investigation of Crime and Corruption (KRIK) in Serbia. We believe that these lawsuits are a form of strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPPs) that aim to stifle scrutiny […]