Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova has been named this year’s winner of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

The journalist remains imprisoned in Azerbaijan for exposing high-level corruption in the country through her work as an investigative journalist. HRHN repeats its call for her freedom.

“Freedom of press is important for all people to understand what is true,” commented Emin Huseynov, Director of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety. “Khadija's work is so important and people deserve to know her findings. International bodies need to make concrete actions to develop the culture of free press and access to information. The alternative is propaganda and manipulation.”

On World Press Freedom Day, Sports for Rights and 18 international NGOs condemned the Azerbaijani authorities’ relentless crackdown on independent media and other critical voices. They called on the Azerbaijani authorities to implement immediate and concrete steps to improve freedom of expression in the country, starting with the unconditional release of Khadija Ismayil and Azerbaijan’s other jailed journalists, bloggers, and other political prisoners.

This year’s WPFD focuses on three different aspects of press freedom: freedom of information as a fundamental freedom and as a human right; protecting press freedom from censorship and surveillance overreach; ensuring safety for journalism online and offline.