YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. International human rights defender “Human Right Watch” organization has condemned the decision of a court in Baku sentencing Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova to 7.5-year imprisonment. “Armenpress” reports that Human Right Watch urges the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately cancel the decision and release Ismayilova in a statement published in the official website of the organization.

“The outrageous verdict against Khadija Ismayilova shows the Azerbaijani authorities’ willingness to subvert the law to exact revenge against critics. Her conviction and sentence should be immediately set aside” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

He emphasized that the European Union and its member states in particular should mount a strong, unified response to the appalling state of human rights in Azerbaijan.

A court in Baku on September 1, 2015, convicted the investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova on spurious charges of tax evasion and other economic crimes. Ismayilova was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison after a politically motivated prosecution, flawed trial, and campaign to discredit her. She was acquitted on an additional charge of inciting someone to commit suicide due to lack of evidence.