A court in Azerbaijan on Monday sentenced opposition journalist Elchin Ismayilli to nine years in prison for extortion, in a case his supporters slammed as politically motivated. The 39-year-old journalist - whose website has often criticised local authorities in the tightly-controlled country - was arrested in February for allegedly trying to coerce money from a top culture ministry official.
Allies of the reporter, who is also a member of the opposition party National Front, insist he is just the latest reporter to run afoul of the authorities for investigating rampant corruption. "The case has been fabricated and he was arrested for his professional activity," Ismayilli's lawyer, Elchin Sadygov, told AFP.