Download the letter of concern on the right
The intimate film, which was captured with a hidden camera, was posted early yesterday on a fake news website, making it appear to be linked to an opposition party. Article 19, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, WAN-IFRA, Reporters Without Borders, Media Diversity Institute, Index on Censorship, Human Rights House Foundation, Freedom House, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, International Federation of Journalists, and The Rafto Foundation call for an immediate and full investigation into the harassment and intimidation of Ismayilova. The NGOs also remind public and private broadcasters, print and on-line media of their ethical responsibilities and editorial oversight and urge them to refrain from further publication and dissemination of the material.
Envelopes containing the intimate photographs of Ismayilova, an award winning journalist who has investigated several cases of high-level corruption in Azerbaijan, were also sent to her boyfriend, several relatives and a number of opposition media outlets on March 7.
This not the first time that smear campaigns have been used in an attempt to intimidate journalists in Azerbaijan. The editor and director of the newspaper Azadlig Ganimat Zahid and Azer Akhmedov have been subject to similar harassment, while journalist Agil Khalil was implicated as having had a homosexual partner in an attempt to harass him.
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