Arrested Azeri journalist calls charges "dirty and black" tactics

Khadija Ismayilova, a journalist with the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is known for her corruption investigations and has been critical of the government.

A court ordered last Friday that she be detained for two months pre-trial after a former colleague at the radio station attempted to kill himself. If convicted, she could face up to seven years in prison.

Her supporters were using the hashtag #FreeKhadija on Twitter to call for her release and a small group protested outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington.

Ismayilova, 38, told her radio station on Tuesday that the charges were fabricated and part of a campaign against her.

"I was expecting that the government's nerves would fail them at some point," Ismayilova said by phone.

Her lawyer Elton Guliyev said the ruling was "absurd" with no evidence against her. They plan to appeal the decision.

The Azerbaijani Prosecutor's Office was not immediately available for comment.

 

(Reuters)