JOURNALISTS from Azerbaijan

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Azerbaijani Journalists of all time. This list of famous Azerbaijani Journalists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Richard Sorge (1895 - 1944)

With an HPI of 70.64, Richard Sorge is the most famous Azerbaijani Journalist.  His biography has been translated into 51 different languages on wikipedia.

Richard Sorge (Russian: Рихард Густавович Зорге, romanized: Rikhard Gustavovich Zorge; 4 October 1895 – 7 November 1944) was a German journalist and Soviet military intelligence officer who was active before and during World War II and worked undercover as a German journalist in both Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. His codename was "Ramsay" (Рамза́й). Sorge is known for his service in Japan in 1940 and 1941, when he provided information about Adolf Hitler's plan to attack the Soviet Union. Then, in mid-September 1941, he informed the Soviets that Japan would not attack the Soviet Union in the near future. A month later, Sorge was arrested in Japan for espionage. He was tortured, forced to confess, tried and hanged in November 1944. Stalin declined to intervene on his behalf with the Japanese.He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1964.

2. Chingiz Mustafayev (1960 - 1992)

With an HPI of 42.79, Chingiz Mustafayev is the 2nd most famous Azerbaijani Journalist.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Chingiz Fuad oghlu Mustafayev (Azerbaijani: Çingiz Fuad oğlu Mustafayev, Чинҝиз Фуад оғлу Мустафајев, [t͡ʃiŋˈɟis fuˈɑt ɔˈɣlu mustɑˈfɑjɪf]; August 29, 1960 – June 15, 1992) was an independent Azerbaijani journalist, posthumously bestowed the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan. Mustafayev, with the medical degree and no formal background in journalism save for a year of on the job training, created a video record of the early stages of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, most of the documentary had to be shot from the frontline which ultimately was the cause of his abrupt death due to mortar wounds.

3. Khadija Ismayilova (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 37.74, Khadija Ismayilova is the 3rd most famous Azerbaijani Journalist.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Khadija Rovshan qizi Ismayilova, also Ismailova, (Azerbaijani: Xədicə Rövşən qızı İsmayılova, pronounced [xædiːˈdʒæ ismɑˈjɯlovɑ]; born 27 May 1976) is an Azerbaijani investigative journalist and radio host who is currently working for the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, until recently as the host of the daily debate show İşdən Sonra. She is a member of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.Ismayilova has been targeted by Ilham Aliyev's authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan for her reporting on financial corruption among Azerbaijan's ruling elite. In December 2014, Ismayilova was arrested on charges of incitement to suicide, a charge widely criticized by human rights organizations as ludicrous. On 1 September 2015, Ismayilova was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison under charges of embezzlement and tax evasion. On 25 May 2016, the Azerbaijani supreme court ordered Ismayilova released on probation. In December 2017, Ismayilova received the Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as "Alternative Nobel Prize", "for her courage and tenacity in exposing corruption at the highest levels of government through outstanding investigative journalism in the name of transparency and accountability." Ismayilova was not allowed to travel from Azerbaijan to Sweden to receive the award.