Dogged Reporting in Azerbaijan Landed a U.S.-trained Journalist in Prison

8/20/2019 Dogged Reporting in Azerbaijan Landed a U.S.-trained Journalist in Prison

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Dogged reporting in Azerbaijan landed a U.S.-

trained journalist in prison

CONTROLLING THE STORY: This is the fourthinstallment in an ongoing series examining the

human cost of reporting the nes aroun! the orl!"

#$ %ana &riest' (nita )omu*es an! Courtne$ +a,eus-Septem,er ./

The U.S. government spends millions each year on programs to improve the skillsof foreign reporters, but rarely have its efforts helped produce such a mediasuperstar as Khadija Ismayilova in Aerbaijan.

Ismayilova !as "# !hen she enrolled in her first U.S.$funded investigative !orkshop in %aku in "&&'. At '&, she moved to (ashington to !ork for thegovernment)s *oice of America, !hich trained her in broadcasting. T!o years later,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/dogged-reporting-in-azerbaijan-landed-a-us-trained-journalist-in-prison/2015/09/12/5a7f9fa0-4032-11e5-8d45-d815146f81fa_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/dogged-reporting-in-azerbaijan-landed-a-us-trained-journalist-in-prison/2015/09/12/5a7f9fa0-4032-11e5-8d45-d815146f81fa_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dana-priesthttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ju2D4W2LFcM/VfXSiWdfH9I/AAAAAAAAGCQ/Vnu4wRk3k1Q/s1600/6007480662360064.pnghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dana-priesthttp://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/dogged-reporting-in-azerbaijan-landed-a-us-trained-journalist-in-prison/2015/09/12/5a7f9fa0-4032-11e5-8d45-d815146f81fa_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/dogged-reporting-in-azerbaijan-landed-a-us-trained-journalist-in-prison/2015/09/12/5a7f9fa0-4032-11e5-8d45-d815146f81fa_story.html


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she returned home as bureau chief of the U.S.$funded +adio ree -urope+adio/iberty 0+-+/1 and later, became a talk$sho! host and investigative reporterthere.

%eginning in "&2&, Ismayilova uncovered secret o!nership amid governmentdealings in the telecommunications, construction, gold mining, hotel, media andairline services industries. 3er bombshells !on international a!ards and highpraise from some in the State 4epartment as !ell as anti$corruption groups

!orld!ide.

%ut in Aerbaijan, in 4ecember, she !as arrested and imprisoned. The hiddenfortunes she revealed !ere those of Aerbaijan)s president, Ilham Aliyev, and hisfamily. She reported that they used their positions to vastly enrich themselves !ithpublic funds.

The charges against her 5 ta6 evasion, illegal entrepreneurship, embelement,inciting a suicide attempt and misuse of authority 5 did not cite her reporting. %utU.S. and -uropean officials and her employer say they are retribution for herarticles, designed to 7uash her investigations and gro!ing pro$democracy activism.

-arlier this month, Ismayilova !as found guilty of all but the suicide charge andsentenced to # 2" years in prison. She told the court that the government 8!on)t beable to force me to stay silent, even if they sentence me to 29 or "9 years.:

U.S. officials condemned the verdict.

“This sentence is clearly retribution for Khadija e6posing government corruptionand sends a !arning shot to other journalists in the country,: said ;eff Shell,chairman of the %roadcasting %oard of n the one hand, U.S. agencies and their affiliates train, fund and publishinvestigative reporters such as Ismayilova, !ho provide some of the last remainingindependent ne!s reports in =entral Asia and +ussia. =ongress appropriated anestimated ?@ million this fiscal year for programs to promote 8media freedom andfreedom of information: !orld!ide, according to State 4epartment records.


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%ut on the other hand, press freedom and human rights usually take a back seat inU.S. foreign relations to military, intelligence, oil or other business interests.

“The U.S. government isn)t doing anything in terms of pressure and sanctionsagainst the government of Aerbaijan to make it clear the jailing of Khadija andother journalists there is unacceptable,: said 4avid ;. Kramer, a human rightsspecialist at the Bc=ain Institute for International /eadership and formerpresident of reedom 3ouse. 8There are other interests !ith Aerbaijan that havecro!ded out human rights concerns.:

In Barch, t!o officials from +-+/ and the International %roadcasting %ureau,an independent U.S. agency that oversees *oice of America, fle! to %aku to discussIsmayilova)s case !ith the foreign minister, national security adviser, t!o othersenior presidential advisers and the prosecutor and ta6 offices.

“I said, CIf you have specific information that contradicts her reporting . . .

give it tous,) : said ;effrey D. Trimble, deputy director of the I%%. 3e got nothing, he added,and 8no hint of fle6ibility.:

The -mbassy of Aerbaijan declined to comment on 7uestions submitted by The (ashington Eost.

Ali 3asanov, the presidential aide for public and political affairs, told media in%aku after the verdict that 8Ismayilova faced criminal charges for committingconcrete criminal acts unrelated to her journalistic activities. 4uring the trial, the

charges !ere fully proved and the ade7uate decision !as made. That is !hyattempts to politicie the court)s verdict about Ismayilova by some internationalorganiations, officials of different countries and a number of international humanrights organiations are unacceptable.:

%efore Ismayilova)s arrest, Aerbaijani officials portrayed her as an enemy of thestate because of her reporting and on$air commentary.

In a @&$page statement issued days before her arrest, Eresidential =hief of Staff

+ami Behdiyev said Ismayilova 8makes absurd statements, openly demonstratesdestructive attitude to!ards !ell$kno!n members of the Aerbaijani communityand spreads insulting lies. It is clear this sort of defiance pleases Bs. Ismayilova)spatrons abroad.:

Ismayilova, 'F, is being held in Kurdakhani prison, '& miles north of %aku andhome to some of the G& other journalists and pro$democracy activists identified byU.S. and -uropean governments. Speaking through intermediaries, she ans!ered


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7uestions in !riting for this article.

“ (e publish investigations because !e value peoples) right to kno!,: she said. 8Ie6pect people to struggle for their right to kno!, to try to hold corrupt politiciansresponsible.:

Today the government o!ns all television stations, and virtually all ne!spapers areallied !ith the president.

“ Aerbaijan has been a friend to the United States and a partner in the battleagainst radical Islam, but mostly it)s their oil. It)s important that Hthe oil remainsin a (estern direction,: said +ep. Steve =ohen 04$Tenn.1, co$chair of the=ongressional Aerbaijan =aucus.

-ven so, =ohen said, Eresident Aliyev 8has talked about human rights, but !e

haven)t really seen it.: =ohen recently co$signed a letter to Aliyev, asking him toreconsider the closing of +-+/, !hich the police shuttered in 4ecember, andassure justice to Ismayilova, !hose arrest the letter called 8politically motivated.:

Oil !erric0s are seen in the ,ac0groun! ,e$on! the #i,i-He$,at +os1ue in #a0u'

(2er,ai3an' in +arch /445" 6n!er &resi!ent Ilham (li$e*' (2er,ai3an has !e*elope! its

oil an! gas infrastructure' turning a countr$ the si2e of +aine ith a population of onl$

7"5 million into a pla$er at the center of multiple geopolitical competitions" 9+i0hail


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+et2el(ssociate! &ress;

Ask anyone !ho kno!s Ismayilova to describe her, and they usually chuckle tothemselves first. 8She gives you a healthy amount of headache,: said Aya

Ahmedov, a co$!orker.

“She is the most courageous man in AerbaijanJ: said Altay


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&e!estrians al0 in !onton #a0u' (2er,ai3an' in +a$ /4./" The capital of this former

So*iet repu,lic has she! its !our' in!ustrial image an! e*ol*e! into a *i,rant

metropolis' com,ining the Ol! rganied =rime and =orruption +eporting Eroject 0>==+E1, anonprofit group that receives U.S. and other funding to teach reporters mostly in=entral Asia and -astern -urope ho! to do cross$border investigations. She also

!orked !ith a U.S.$trained +omanian computeried$records !iard, Eaul +adu.+adu had built an online tool called Investigative 4ashboard that containscorporate registries and company records !orld!ide, and much more.


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Ismayilova !ould eventually combine +ay)s scrutiny of documents, Sullivan)s cross$ border capabilities and +adu)s 4ashboard to produce the half$doen fact$filledstories about the Aliyev family that got her in so much trouble. The training that allthree men provided to Ismayilova !as partly subsidied by U.S. government funds.

%ut one more thing !as re7uired to turn her into a full$fledged investigativereporterL passion.

In Barch "&&9, a friend, investigative reporter -lmar 3useynov, !ho hadpublished stories linking Aliyev to hidden business holdings, !as shot dead at hisdoorstep in %aku by assailants !ho have still not been identified.

“That !as the moment !hen I felt guilty,: Ismayilova later told +ay in an intervie!.8I started crying 5 I just couldn)t control it. I couldn)t stop crying.:

Ismayilova had dismissed 3useynov)s !ork because he didn)t document most of theallegations made about the Aliyev family, +ay said.

>nly later did she realie that 8he !as a one$man band going after the po!ers that be: !ith none of the training she had to find the necessary paper trail, +ay said.8She did some self$assessment and realied that the spirit of !hat he !as doing !ascorrect, but he didn)t kno! the best !ay to do it.:

4eeply regretful, she promised herself that she !ould honor him by continuing his !ork and training others to do the same.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/series/global-threats-to-a-free-press


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The turning point for Aerbaijani investigative journalism came only in mid$"&2&.In Barch, The Eost published an article by one of its correspondents about an 22$

year$old boy !ith the same name and birth date as the president)s son !ho hadspent ? million on nine 4ubai mansions.

Ismayilova had helped !ith the story but for safety reasons had asked that hername not be used.

The article, according to +aufoglu, the fello! journalist, 8made the local media !ake up. . . . (e !ere asking ourselves, C(hy can)t !e !rite like thisM) :

Ismayilova, he recalled, told colleaguesL 8>kay, !e !ill call our colleagues abroad. (e !ill figure out a !ay to prove everything !e kno!.:

Ismayilova)s first bylined investigation !as vetted and published by +-+/, once

a =old (ar propaganda outlet that has since evolved into the last remaining sourceof independent ne!s in much of =entral Asia and +ussia. %y then it broadcast onlyon the Internet, having been banned by the government from air!aves.

In August "&2&, using documents from the State =ommittee on inancialSecurities, Ismayilova and a colleague reported that an Aerbaijani holdingcompany called S( 3oldings had a near monopoly on recently privatied airlineservices to the state airline company, Aerbaijan Airlines 0ANA/1, including ticketsales, in$flight meals, technical upkeep, duty$free stores and ta6i service.

S( 3oldings, they !rote, !as partly o!ned by Aliyev)s then "2$year$old daughter, Aru, and by the !ife of ANA/)s president.

“It is unclear !here Aru Aliyeva 5 !ho until no! !as best kno!n for her role in an Aerbaijani tourism ad aired on =DD 5 may have ac7uired the estimated . . . ?#.G million . . .

she used to ac7uire her initial stake of "F.&G percent: in S( 3oldings,they !rote.

As president, her father, Ilham Aliyev, earns ?"'&,&&& a year.

The ne6t article documented the meteoric success of Aerfon, a mobile phonecompany. (ithin three years, it had 2.# million subscribers and !as the onlycompany licensed to provide '< services. The government had insisted that thecompany !as o!ned by Siemens, the


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registered in Eanama and the =aribbean ta6 haven of Devis Island, and then to/eyla Aliyeva, "9, and Aru Aliyeva, "".

The headline on Ismayilova)s story !asL 8Aerbaijani Eresident)s 4aughters Tied toast$+ising Telecoms irm.:

=rom left' &resi!ent Ilham (li$e* *otes in a referen!um as his ife' +ehri,an' an!

!aughter Le$la atch in #a0u' (2er,ai3an' in +arch /447" The countr$ as hol!ing a

referen!um on lifting the countr$>s to-term presi!ential limit' thus pro*i!ing (li$e* the

chance to rule for life" 9%a*i! +!2inarish*iliReuters;

-very investigation dre! threats and invectives from Aerbaijanis defending thepresident. In Barch "&2", Ismayilova received a letter containing still images froma video of her having se6 !ith her then$boyfriend in her apartment. The letter

!riter threatened to air it if she didn)t stop her reporting.

She immediately posted the threat on acebook. 8If they think they !ill stop methis !ay, they are !rong.:

The video !as aired t!o days later, but the tactic backfired. -ven radical Buslimsin the mostly secular Buslim country condemned !hat they said !as thegovernment)s attempt to smear her.


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/ooking at the video, Ismayilova determined the camera angles and discoveredphone !iring in her bedroom !here the cameras had been, and follo!ed it into herliving room and bathroom. She found the installer, !ho recalled bringing the line tothe apartment for a mysterious customer. Ismayilova asked prosecutors toinvestigate, but nothing came of it.

T!o months later, she published t!o more investigative stories, jointly reported !ith >==+E. >ne article probed the hidden o!nership of a gold mining company !hich !as !idely believed to be %ritish. Using official documents again, shereported that the president)s t!o daughters o!ned part of the firm through fourEanamanian corporations.

“The UK company is actually a front for the first family,: Ismayilova !rote, 8!hostand to add to their already enormous !ealth.:

The second article revealed that a ?2' million glass$and$steel auditorium rising upfrom do!nto!n %aku for the upcoming -urovision Song =ontest "&2" !as largelyconstructed by a company secretly connected to the president)s !ife and t!odaughters.

After those stories, parliament passed a la! ruling that o!nership of privatecompanies could no longer be made public e6cept by court order, by policeinvestigators or !ith the o!ner)s consent. Another la! granted all presidents, e6$presidents and first ladies lifelong immunity from prosecution.

Ismayilova)s articles fueled small pro$democracy protests in Aerbaijan calling forthe Aliyev government to step do!n. She joined in, crossing a line that her (esternmentors found uncomfortable.

Sullivan tried to get Ismayilova to stick to journalism, but she 8felt she !as in anhistoric time and needed to come out and e6plain !hat the government !as doing:in a plain$spoken !ay people could understand, he said.

“She felt the government !as so evil and abusive of the people that she had to pick

sides,: Sullivan said.

In early "&2', Ismayilova !as arrested !ith other protesters in %aku and sentencedto community service, !hich she turned into another protest by s!eeping thestreets, joined by groups of her supporters. The government also 7uestioned herabout allegations that she passed secret documents to U.S. congressional staffers.

%y no!, the threats to Ismayilova had become routine but still !orried her, friends


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said. 3er tactic !as al!ays to publish them on social media, thinking that thepublicity !ould give her protection.

%ut the threats escalated. 3er mother)s address !as printed in a prominentne!spaper, S-S, under the headlineL 8Khadija)s Armenian Bother Should 4ie.:

Armenia is considered Aerbaijan)s main enemy.

It had become clear to Ismayilova that she !ould be arrested soon, a doen of hercolleagues said in intervie!s.

In September "&2, Thomas Belia sa! her !hile he !as serving as the U.S. envoyto an annual high$level -uropean human rights meeting in Eoland. As usual, they

joked and laughed, then shared stories of ho! many more Aerbaijani journalistsand activists they kne! !ho had been imprisoned since the last time they met.

“I told her, C(hy don)t you not go home,) : Belia recalled. 8 CStay here or go to 4.=./et things cool off.) :

She refused.

Belia recalled the last thing she told him before returning to %akuL

“ ‘If they arrest me, please speak out,) : he recalled her saying.

Eosted by Thavam

https://www.blogger.com/profile/01338571660162781025https://www.blogger.com/profile/01338571660162781025


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)ha!i3a Isma$ilo*a' ho as ,eing honore! ith a /4./ Courage in ?ournalism (ar!

hoste! ,$ the International s +e!ia =oun!ation' spea0s at the #e*erl$ Hills

Hotel in #e*erl$ Hills' Calif"' in Octo,er /4./" 9Charle$ Galla$Gett$ Images for the

International s +e!ia =oun!ation;

Sure enough, on 4ec. @, she !as arrested and denied bail.

“I kne! that I !ould be arrested,: Ismayilova later said from prison in response to7uestions by The Eost. 8I am not a running$a!ay type of person.:

She !as charged !ith driving her former boyfriend to attempt suicide. 3e drank ratpoison, he said, but later confessed he had 8defamed: Ismayilova because policeforced him into it. After his about$face, he !as charged !ith ta6 evasion.

T!o !eeks later, police stormed +-+/)s bureau in %aku. They searched the safe,confiscated computers and sealed the office for reasons they have yet to clarify.

The raid came si6 days after Secretary of State ;ohn . Kerry, !ho oversees ?2

million in mostly economic assistance to Aerbaijan each year, telephoned Aliyev tocomplain about his human rights practices.

The president also then banned all foreign aid to independent media outlets and


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signed a la! shuttering those accused of defamation t!ice in one year. Ismayilova)sne!s outlet moved its operations to Erague. Some of its Aerbaijani journalists left

!ith it for safety reasons a handful remain in the country, keeping a lo! profile butreporting nonetheless.

In ebruary, Ismayilova !as charged !ith four other crimes 5 embelement, ta6evasion, misuse of authority and illegal entrepreneurship 5 and denied bail again.

Kenan Aliyev, !ho hired her as +-+/ bureau chief in "&&G, said, 8She)s like this !oman !ho)s being insulted by the government, but she)s still fighting back likeshe)s being raped, but she still fights back,: he said. 8She)s saying. C(e shouldn)t beafraid of this.) . . .

She)s no! the symbol of Aerbaijan.:

(hile she sits in prison, "& of her >==+E colleagues from 22 countries have bandedtogether to carry on her !ork. A series of articles posted on the nonprofit

organiation)s (eb site under The Khadija Eroject further documents the !ealth ofthe Aliyev family and their lobbying in the United States.

Ismayilova)s imprisonment illustrates the limits of U.S. support for independentmedia as a critical part of durable civil societies !orld!ide. The *oice of America,

!hose editorials reflect U.S. policy and !here Ismayilova !as !idely respected as areporter !hen she !orked there, did not editorialie on her behalf until she !assentenced on Sept. 2.

“The United States is deeply troubled by today)s decision of an Aerbaijani court to

sentence prominent investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova to #2" years inprison,: State 4epartment spokesman Bark Toner said after the sentencing.

Ereviously, the State 4epartment had issued only brief statements of support forIsmayilova, usually in response to a 7uestion posed at a briefing.

=olleagues and some members of =ongress criticie the State 4epartment for notdoing more to gain her release, saying it has let oil and security interests dominatethe relationship. The Senate Appropriations =ommittee has demanded an

accounting of the department)s steps to seek her release and that of a handful ofother political prisoners.

Ero$democracy Aerbaijanis are particularly angered by !hat they see as (ashington)s inaction. 8This back$door, under$the$table diplomacy just is not !orking anymore, and everyone is realiing this,: said Aru


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Tom Balino!ski, the State 4epartment)s human rights envoy, defended thedepartment)s actions. 8(e have been pushing hard, and they have pushed backhard in !ays that have affected the relationship,: he said, but refused to givee6amples. 8They understand !hat steps !ill be re7uired to improve the climate,and the ball is in their court.:

Ismayilova has her o!n opinion on the U.S. response to her predicament.

“ (estern politicians, !ho have compromised human rights and democracy valuesfor energy and security cooperation, should kno! that corruption and organiedcrime does not kno! borders,: she said from prison. 8%y tolerating these diseases inother countries, they open their o!n country for corruption.:

Komuves is a Hubert H. Humphrey fellow at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Mabeus is a graduate student there.

OCCRPs Khadi!a Pro!e"t is edited by #rew $ullivan% whose brother% John% is a&ashington Post investigative reporter. One of the pro!e"ts editors is on the

fa"ulty with #ana Priest at the University of Maryland but was not involved withthis arti"le.

Other stories in this series:

Other stories in this series:

Eart 2L /iving like a fugitive in Eakistan

Eart "L After Arab Spring, journalism briefly flo!ered and then !ithered

Eart 'L (ith U.S. !ithdra!al looming, a nascent Afghan press is in peril
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/07/25/living-like-a-fugitive/http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/after-arab-spring-journalism-briefly-flowered-and-then-withered/2015/07/25/cb4c43fe-1c2a-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/with-us-withdrawal-looming-a-nascent-afghan-press-is-in-peril/2015/08/22/541b30a2-361e-11e5-9739-170df8af8eb9_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/07/25/living-like-a-fugitive/http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/after-arab-spring-journalism-briefly-flowered-and-then-withered/2015/07/25/cb4c43fe-1c2a-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/with-us-withdrawal-looming-a-nascent-afghan-press-is-in-peril/2015/08/22/541b30a2-361e-11e5-9739-170df8af8eb9_story.html

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Dogged Reporting in Azerbaijan Landed a U.S.-trained Journalist in Prison

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