Award to Campaign for Jailed Journalist

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has been named the winner of the 2015 Tom Renner Award by Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE).

The award was presented for The Khadija Project, which continues the work of imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist and OCCRP partner, Khadija Ismayilova. The reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL) and OCCRP, was sentenced in 2015 on what many believe to be politically motivated charges. 

Ismayilova exposed many examples of corruption among the ruling elites of Azerbaijan. “This project has meant more to us than anything we published last year. We all live with a gnawing discomfort that one of our own sits in prison and it’s not fair,” said Drew Sullivan.

“This award goes to Khadija and we won’t rest and we won’t stop reporting until she is released.”