Opposition Journalist Blocked From Travel From Azerbaijan
Aqil Xalil, a 25-year-old correspondent with “Azadliq,” Azerbaijan’s largest opposition daily, was shortlisted for Amnesty’s Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat. The award, which was announced earlier this week, went to Yemeni newspaper editor Abdul Karim al-Khaiwani.
Xalil this year has suffered a series of attacks that he and fellow “Azadliq” employees say is connected to his work investigating claims of government corruption in major land deals in Baku.
“Statements from international organizations and embassies have been a great source of support for me,” he tells RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service. “Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, this award. In a word, I want to thank all my colleagues for the support I got from them.”
Xalil was hospitalized in March after being stabbed in the chest. It was the second time he had been attacked in less than a month.