Famous US senators Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin have sent a message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev calling for an end to the political persecution of journalists in the country, cardin.senate.gov reported. 

They expressed concern about the serious and ongoing violations of the press and freedoms in Azerbaijan.

The senators refer to the case of the journalist Khadija Ismayilova, convicted in 2014 on false charges and conditionally released in 2016.

“It is our hope that your government will work to establish an open space for the media in keeping with Azerbaijan’s international commitments as a member of the Council of Europe and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,” wrote the senators. “We also urge you to immediately lift all restrictions on Ms. Ismayilova.”

“Unfortunately, persistent concerns regarding judicial independence and respect for fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan damage international confidence in the integrity of Azerbaijan’s institutions and the security of investments in the country. We are deeply troubled by serious and ongoing violations of press freedom in Azerbaijan, in particular, the rights of Azerbaijani investigative journalist, Khadija Ismayilova,” the statement said.

Over five years since Khadija’s arrest and the closure of RFE/RL’s Baku bureau, journalists continue to be silenced and nearly all media have been blocked. There are no independent print or television media remaining in the country, the letter added.

Even Azerbaijani journalists “who cover Azerbaijan from outside the country are subject to harassment related to their work. We urge you to cease such harassment and allow independent media to once again operate inside Azerbaijan,” they said.