Amal Clooney: 'Why I'm defending Azerbaijani journalist (Khadija Ismayilova)' - BBC News

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is representing award-winning Azerbaijan reporter Khadija Ismayilova at the European Court of Human Rights. Ms Ismayilova, an outspoken critic of the government, was jailed 18 months ago. Ms Clooney has been speaking to the BBC about the journalist's case, and also gave her views on Republican presidential nomination front runner Donald Trump.
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[@Bees123Knees]

She's beautiful and she's setting a good strong example for our girls. Better to look up to someone like this instead of a Kardashian.

[@above.and.beyond]

+Howard Neilson who cares whether she is muslim or not? And what is wrong with being a muslim?

[@trees915]

+Debra Sullivan What a stupid, shallow comment!

[@dpginthehouse]

+Howard Neilson reading your comments here made me realize , You would've make a good SS officer back in 1930s and 1940s,

[@Tana7cherryboomboom]

+Howard Neilson why don't you educate yourself you ignoramus

[@yvr3190]

+Howard Neilson Ummm...no.

[@SekarVuthy]

I thought Amal has been doing high-profile works way before her marriage. Some people think she's lucky to land Clooney. I say, it's the other way around.

[@berly9397]

+Monasekar Vong Vuthy They are both independent people. If he makes her happy then she is lucky.

[@SekarVuthy]

+Nurit L Absolutely. But, my remark was simply a response to the accusation that she exploits the easy-fame from her marriage to a Hollywood superstar. That is not to say she totally rejects fame; but to take away the credit of her works, that's rather unfair.

[@berly9397]

Monasekar Vong Vuthy true. she doesn't need his fame.

[@BumbleBeeBeeRock]

agree. she can do better than him.

[@farheenfathima1930]

+Earth Angel That's what she said; Her mother.

[@squirrelsquirrelo8744]

Wow what a woman! Now this is the type of woman young girls should aspire to become: well educated, eloquent, intelligent with a career she seems very passionate about! I'm in awe of that lady.

[@mainlymusicman]

+Squirrel Squirrelo all 87 lbs of her?

[@squirrelsquirrelo8744]

+mainlymusicman What does her weight has to do with how intelligent, well educated and accomplished she is? I'm admiring her for her brains and not her looks.

[@somyod2u]

+Squirrel Squirrelo Moreover, she does not take a dump on her own doorstep, which is back in the Lebanon.

[@squirrelsquirrelo8744]

+somyod2u What a class act you are!

[@truthseeking7454]

+Squirrel Squirrelo Yeah, and marry a leftard briandead Hollywood poster boy

[@gabir7626]

Now that's a lady! Smart, beautiful and gracious. George is so lucky to have her as a wife. The interviewer was a bit annoying trying to make her "fame" somehow relevant to her current work. She was a lawyer before marrying George you know. But I must say, she handled his cheap shots very graciously.

[@theindividualizt]

Do women have too be beautiful or smart? Are you smart and good looking?

[@gabir7626]

+Sandi Small Men and women are better when smart and/or beautiful (beauty is subjective). And terms of "smarts" I try to better myself each day. And it terms of beauty, some will find me beautiful...others average...and others ugly. Go it?

[@CloroxBleach-il7wg]

I'm happy!! Cause Amal clooney and i have the same name my name is Amal too!! I love her

[@yafo3266]

She is smart but too much tiny - she is not beautiful

[@fais3159]

Can you tell her to defend assange? 😄😄😁😁😁🤭🤭🤭

[@whzdza7502]

Dear Mr Interviewer: Stop interrupting your interviewee!

[@kellyb5768]

whz dza i think she talks a lot and fast so he has to cut her off to finish his questions.

[@DimensionMate]

how many times exactly did he interupt her? did anyone count? shameful...

[@rahmanikheira3179]

Il sait très bien que c'est une grande monteuse et artificielle

[@LightworkBeacon]

She hasn't just "suddenly" started representing people. She has long been doing this job prior to marrying George Clooney. There are many people who need help in diverse situations. At least she doing her part. Anyone who is a critic should look at what they are doing to rectify human rights, both locally and internationally. It is always the easier thing to do to point fingers and find fault in those stepping up. We should be supportive of all areas of global rights and freedoms.

[@cacampbell3654]

Well said! 🌟

[@alanaveira9723]

The people that say this shit are the ones who only watch reality tv and read tabloid magazines. They're stupid and useless

[@chrissycox7166]

the guy keeps cutting her off, how disrespectful. She is amazingly inspirational to me, apart from campaigning for clintons.

[@Comfortably0]

+Chrissy Cox But you have to agree she never stops talking while answering each question, the reporter just wanted to touch an array of subjects as the time is limited. She is way too intelligent than most of us anyways.

[@leapsplashafrog]

+skyBlue 08 Hopefully you can see now that Bernie is for Clinton. Politicians are usually political puppets all controlled by big corps

[@alainportant6412]

She is a tool for the globalists who are the real power. At this level of influence, you do what you are told, or you end up in a trunk.

[@katford-kj5pi]

She's fantastic. How wonderful to have someone of her intelligence and insight championing human rights around the world.

[@davidblackburn7090]

yes....I'm overwhelmed by her support for us, the down-trodden. Nonsense.

[@somyod2u]

+katford7286 She will champion your ' human rights ' sure enough - if the money's right, that is .

[@westcoastkitties]

Finally an smart woman married to a celebrity ( celebrity who)? that actually shines because of her intelligence. Bravo Mrs. Amal Clooney.

[@aiayumi]

Condolezza P I'm actually sad that she had to change her last name. An incredible woman like her shouldn't "belong" to any man. It actually seem to "lower" her in a way.....As if to remind the world, this brilliant and incredible woman, well she is still a woman......

[@hevenuna8]

the journalist is annoying kept interrupting her

[@cacampbell3654]

So annoying the way the interviewer keeps interrupting her, talking over her, refusing to allow her to finish her sentences! For me, such behaviour creates unnecessary tension that pushes the audience's attention away from the issues being discussed (both questions and answers) and on to the interviewer's need to dominate!

[@Traveler_Pie]

+C A Campbell Exactly what annoyed me. Some anchors need better interviewing skills.

[@lucidaable]

+C A Campbell Looked to me like he certainly had a want to dominate Mrs Clooney.

[@aamyjune]

Agreed. It's infuriating!!

[@Sky2Mina]

Agree, so annoying. I wish she would have "fought" back and ask him polite but firmly to let her finish her f-ing sentence.

[@Imanne87]

I believe they have a time limit for each answer otherwise he would not be able to cover all the questions by the end of the segment

[@stormystormiest]

She is arabic ( lebanese) i m glad that Amal show the world that middle eastern women are beautiful, smart and well spoken.

[@berly9397]

+Paul Vienneau

[@isabellenaylor501]

yes, because she was educated at Oxford ..

[@pakman54321]

+Ms Sandhu Are you kidding me Lebanese women are a million times better then your women

[@stormystormiest]

Mrs Sandhu, i will replied with the same level...Arab women wear hijabs, burquas thats so funny, have you been in Lebanon? in Jordan? in Kuweit? Bahrein? Katar? Morocco? .....girl you dont have facts, you are just an uneducated judgemental person. in fact your name is Indian, im pretty sure you or your familty was working in Dubai for Arabic princesses....if you have been in Dubai you see how arabs women are treated, they are entrepreneurs,leaders. business women they are strong, beautiful and smart. The funny thing people like you thinking that a scarf define you, but your comment is stupid some arabs wear a mini skirt, some smoke hashish, some wear a scarf, whatever the f they wanna wear but that doesnt define them.

[@yvr3190]

+Ms Sandhu Disgusting comment.

[@monicab8760]

This interviewers didn't seem to take her seriously until she made him which is slightly irritating.

[@IndianaRose.]

Because this is a publicity stunt for Anal. This will add up to nothing but push her female ness

[@rkh7360]

@@IndianaRose. oh shut up. Have u seen her track record? She gets stuff done. Ok. So shut up u good for nothing moron.

[@foragingfleur]

GIRL POWER! Amal dusting off the shoulders on the fame comment lol .. She has a name for herself, a human rights lawyer. She doesn't have to be attached to George Clooney at the hip even though she is his wife and he is her husband

[@MegaBaddog]

what does that mean?

[@sbeaflove4891]

Married to a Celebrity.....or not..She still is a human being (like all of us)...with a purpose in the World.

[@sbeaflove4891]

+ThoughtTank.... Sure but it is not Worldly dent that One is expected to make.......It could be in the Family, Community concerned or on Individual issue such as this of Khadija.....

[@tarns77]

wow. she is awesome. and if her marriage to Clooney helps shine a spotlight on some of the cases she's taking - so much the better.

[@nameless592]

this makes me so mad so just because she's married to Clooney she shouldn't work. like wtf. she's doing her job and yes the BS is to be expected but she still doing her job like buddy come on

[@SethWeinstein]

+habibat ore UGLY AMAL she male does no work other than the stealth marketing deals that are lured from advertising fashion by association  on George Clooney's name.  UGLY SHE MALE Amal  is in a fake "marriage." It's a publicity arrangement designed to promote her to celebrity status like a Kardashian. George Clooney cannot stand her nor her delusional Islamist family.  He is paid to promote her.  Fact.  The "work" is written by lackeys and the horse face deformed transvestite ugly Amal just does public appearance USING GEORGE CLOONEY'S NAME. She defends terrorists like Abdullah Senussi & Saif Gaddafi who are linked to her arms dealer criminal money-laundering uncle Ziad Takieddine.

[@widg3tswidgets416]

wtf are you talking about? no one is saying she shouldn't work, psycho. the guy asked her a question: what made her take this specific case?

[@Improbable_Fiction]

+David Johnson Uhhh...You should read your comment... O_o

[@davidblackburn7090]

......who cares ? She is an irrelevance.

[@Improbable_Fiction]

David Blackburn *irrelevant*

[@parsinvatan4014]

Lucky Goerge Clooney that she married him.

[@TheSapphire51]

Well don't we just need to hear from more intelligent ,articulate, and capable people like her.

[@davidblackburn7090]

No....never want to see her again.

[@mishtijuno2945]

I think it's admirable that Amal is fighting for journalists that are being penalized by governments for doing their jobs. If being famous brings attention to unjust and corruption, it's a good thing.

[@jn2050]

She's way too smart , she doesn't need to be famous

[@furogh1]

She is so smart!!!!!!

[@davidblackburn7090]

not.

[@kphazang1679]

Why would he keep interrupting her? Gosh, this guy's annoying as hell

[@Miumiu0404]

omg, her hair is incredibly beautiful. Sorry for the shallow comment lol.

[@alainportant6412]

abyssal vagineer

[@jessicagarciardz]

This interviewer cut her off so insensitively in important parts of her speech

[@pauliusd6505]

This is so frustrating to watch. I hope there's justice at the end of all of this :(

[@VineSocialMediaMarketingPage]

He married up... He always said it, now I see it's the truth.

[@jeanbordes8241]

To speak With a goddess is notan Easy thing

[@margaritamartin4424]

What a beautiful and smart lady!

[@itsReallyLou]

Contrarily, if she were as smart as people claim, she would project a better understanding of Donald Trump. Trump is a rather complex person and yet Amal projects a typical Hollywood/ far-left dimissal of the man. I found enough in this one interview to leave with a relatively low regard for this woman.

[@whitenoise118]

You know, it is RIDICULOUS that all some people can comment on is how attractive she is or on her physical appearance. It is obvious she has done a lot of work and put in a lot of effort to be where she is today and all of her statements are not "empty", she is a woman of substance! If it were a man in her place, would his appearance matter? Exactly. So stop thinking a woman is obligated to be attractive if she's on a public platform and focus on her opinions, diplomacy and how intelligent and inspiring this woman is! And it is clear she doesn't need "fame" to be influential, something people mix up a lot. She knows what she's doing and that's truly something to look up to :)

[@sunflower-oo1ff]

So beautiful and so smart ! Mr Clooney is lucky and he knows it... awesome couple !

[@FH-er7us]

sooo proud she's lebanese ..u go girl💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@eduardomichalanydeandrade6888]

lebanon 97 Yeah, Lebanon is such an amazing country and Lebanese people are great!!! You should really be very proud of your country and your people!

[@prawndog100]

This interviewer is highly irritating, trying to make it about Amal and her 'profile' ! What profile? She's a respectable lawyer and quite rightly pointed out that the lawyer/representative in this scenario is irrelevant, Amal is speaking on behalf of her client and acting in her best interest. She's sat there to air the plight and fight her client is enduring not her personal opinions on Donald Trump or how her non existent celebrity profile is going to effect her cases.

[@prawndog100]

+Roh Gfm I see your point but in all honesty she's not that big in the celeb world, hardly at all in fact but in the legal world she is a respected lawyer, she had a career before clooney and that's why I find his questions distracting and irrelevant.

[@MrApplehair]

Very smart and open-minded woman. She really knows the situation

[@nimkal]

She's very smart. I admire her path, her goals, and her courage. Very much so.

[@milliesaysokboomer]

We need more beautiful women like her, who wants to be lawyers and activists and journalists and scientists, actually changing the world. instead of using their beauty to enter the media and spurn out trash

[@charlesjames3328]

George Clooney is so lucky to bask in the integrity of this amazing person

[@sylkyj]

Lucky Amal also as she would not have married him, were he just your boy next door. Nothing special about her, just any other professional like the rest of us!!

[@mirukosimp6072]

she's really Beautiful and very smart!!

[@snoopy7735]

Please look into Bernie's Policies they are much better for women on a whole than Hillary Clinton's. Amal I don't think you should play the first female President card. Look at Thatcher she didn't really work out as well as you had hoped did she?

[@chahinebinsaleh6954]

Thatcher was great for the economy. But wasn't as good socially!

[@Mr0011011]

+Snappers-snoop Let's ignore everything she was talking about before and focus on he last minute of the video. FML!

[@penguinmit]

Damn hottest lawyer ever.

[@truthseeking7454]

+hept For you only.. she is yucky to the rest of the sane population

[@yvr3190]

+Truth Seeking Wow! Ironic that you call yourself Truth Seeking, and then claim to speak on behalf of almost everyone!

[@truthseeking7454]

yvr3190 Mind you, most people do not belong to category "the rest of the sane population". They are brainwashed by the media into believing this skinny lightning rod is a "hot ass lawyer"

[@jimcameron1234]

hept for me she would be perfect with 20kg more

[@blurdreamer]

she the reason why George Clooney get his lifetime achievement awards...

[@bethmcavoy8062]

George is definitely the lucky one to have landed such an amazing advocate for human rights.

[@anonnymus2218]

The reporter keeps cutting her off and interrupting her...

[@dubidooba7930]

Would she be interviewed about things like this prior to being married to George clooney

[@melvenlabitad7156]

her heart is pure gold. no wonder why george tied the knot :-) good job mr clooney!!

[@mayank-kx9tc]

She's amazing. Love her. Good luck amal

[@sahra8935]

stunning and smart!

[@vishnureddy34]

+sahra Tarcisio yes

[@jordonlane6416]

+sahra Tarcisio Yep! The whole package!

[@davidblackburn7090]

ugly and bigoted

[@aiayumi]

I just love watching her speak.... doesn't matter what she's saying

[@Uighurella]

she needs to push Arabs to let women to live freely first and for most since she is an Arab lady. she is very smart and beuatiful

[@eduardomichalanydeandrade6888]

Rae Tosh She's a Lebanese lady!

[@altairibn-laahad6887]

Same lol

[@Boceto61]

What an amaizing woman! Style, grace, brains all in one package.

[@JAHughes1988]

Love her! Before she was Mrs. Clooney.

[@leesaemmanuel9533]

You are my inspiration Amal clooney

[@crunk4124]

I LOVE her accent

[@dafiel-amin4799]

+crunk4124 lol it's just a normal English accent haha

[@Maya_s1999]

Yay for an intelligent and beautiful woman making a difference in what matters in the world - freedom of speech!!

[@AyikosMedley]

So well spoken so charismatic 🙌🏿😍

[@batuhan0501]

If Amal really cares about Azerbaijan, she should help the country with international recognition of the genocides happend in Azerbaijan committed by the aggressor armenia, one of them in the city of Khojaly.

[@markoturac3244]

BM ıt is not a genocide. Just a massacre where 613 people were killed and cant be called genocide

[@ulkersdi4121]

It is absolutely NOT the same situation !!! Open your eyes and try listen objectively .

[@altairibn-laahad6887]

@@markoturac3244 As an Azerbaijani, you're right. It is NOT genocide. But still it's atrocity done against us by Armenians, who are playing angels in front of the world. Btw it is not their only massacre. They did massacres against us even 100 years ago together with Russian bolsheviks, they (Armenian Dashnaks) were doing massacres in Uzbekistan together with Bolsheviks and before 'Armenian genocide' they were collaborating with enemies and killing Turkish and Kurdish people. Nobody really likes them. Iran and especially Russia uses them. Even Israel (yeah I know, they are not innocent too) is supporting Azerbaijan.

[@altairibn-laahad6887]

@@markoturac3244 But I wouldn't be using 'just', it's sounds kinda disrespecting. But I get what you meant.

[@nsa266]

She has tall neck mashallah

[@tahirahmed1776]

Khadija is a very brave and very truthful journalist and we pay great to tribute her work as a journalist and she imprisoned just because she spoke against president injustice or whatever and now her case is in hands of very great and brave Lawyer Amal and she definitely will give her justice soon as remember truth always wins ...

[@ashketchum1377]

I wish I could be as smart as her. :c

[@Lolalai]

You go girl!

[@mariev6108]

Random I know, but I have to say I'm glad her and Meghan now Duchess of Sussex are friends. I also believe Meghan could have a beautiful friendship with Queen Rania of Jordan. All three of these women share similar beliefs in wanting to bring about change for the better and for female education, rights, and empowerment on all levels. It would be amazing for these three women to become friends and work together to bring this about.

[@scarlett_81]

What a brilliantly smart woman

[@akayrk]

wow 4:49 she was very funny and sarcastic here. love her sense of humor

[@ame2347]

she is a person grandand strong I love you amal,

[@gazalabegum6896]

Amazing woman

[@marcellowoodford4048]

BBC man quite Obviously self-conscious and intimidated by this intelligent, Illustrious guest but he manages to hold it together reasonably well!

[@Hannah-vh4gf]

She is such a good rolemodel, I think she propably hates the questions on how her marriage helps her cases

[@sipsofhell9018]

GEORGE HAS GOT A THING FOR ANNE HATHAWAY

[@davidmessages6095]

Can anyone please tell me what is her full name..??

[@necromancer7712]

I am happy to see Khadija is finally out of the prison thanks to Amal.

[@nonamenolastname8600]

Where is Assange

[@remiellis972]

She’s doing great things , people need to be a bit kinder sometimes

[@Sosi22110]

The way he kept asking her about her fame was rude!!!

[@rathinada5122]

We have to be happy about what we cannot imagine to do and some one else is doing for us. Easy to point the fingers or make criticism about it

[@dinarazeynalova9096]

Guys, plz, what's name the announcer?

[@freelancerfree9782]

she is so pretty with a good heart.

[@vaanya8163]

what's the name of the anchor here?

[@bobbybobs2009]

You are fantastic :):) GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS .

[@e.nbielschowsky3641]

Let her finish her sentence!

[@Jointanatomy]

If you thought her name had a whole another meaning at first.

[@Gunicin]

How strange that just last week a very wealthy Armenian businessman living in US invited George Clooney to Armenia and treated him like a king (you may find the video here on youtube) - I guess the treat has worked. You gotta give credit to how smartly Armenian diaspora works against Azerbaijan, especially after the clashes between the two countries last month. Needless to say, a full on coverage of a small country's journalist involving a very high profile person is a very obvious form of propaganda. When all those other governments with dozens of journalists in much worse situations are never even mentioned on mainstream media with this much of a focus. Just sad.

[@thepepper191]

That Azerbaijan pronunciation though

If its an ongoing case before courts, shouldn't she not comment whatsoever?

[@LeksiW]

It's a kangaroo court. She's trying to encourage political pressure to get this journalist freed at this stage.

Leksi Wins Ah I see... Kangaroos are funny... More importantly, I'd suck the exhaust pipe of the van that delivers her dirty knickers to the laundry

[@corentinoger]

95% comments about Amal Clooney, 5% about George Clooney (him being lucky and all). 0% About Khadija Ismayilova...

[@lighttawake6204]

Woah, what?! The interview is odd and misleading: everything about the introduction makes it sound like it's about the imprisoned reporter, but it's quickly clear that the questions deviate from the ostensible aim of the interview, and in fact it's not the imprisoned reporter that this interviewer is interested in; it's Amal herself. If she was invited to be interviewed under the pretence of talking about her clients case, that's pretty underhanded tactics by the BBC...which is whoppingly ironic considering they are interviewing a human rights' lawyer about journalistic integrity lol... She caught onto what the interviewer was doing though - good on her for making sure she got information about her client and her work in there despite him trying to make it about her.

[@smangalisodlamini6688]

Why they kept disturbing her

[@Danusha_Goska]

Martin Richard.

[@01194482510]

Who is he? What's the name of him?

[@xaixanac]

At 8.06 minutes "you and your husband organized fund raising events for the Clinton campaign" > wow > that says it all about the two of you!

[@458gfjgv3]

SHE'S LEBANESE AND MUSLIM!

[@RhythmOfTomorrow]

Btw Amal means hope.

[@thomscn]

My god, she is so beautiful and is super intelligent

[@nealhurwitz]

she is right on

[@sundaskhan2545]

She was bad ass lawyer before the surname clooney You just noticed her now

[@vorzakonoglan9333]

Khadija İsmayilova is one of the most fair journalists of Azerbaijan. Why had she been arrested? Because she talked about the injustice, corruption and so on. But now she is free!

[@arvinderbains7346]

She's lovely. Great role model representing.

[@OdinochkaVIP]

Hadija Ismailova... Why is it hard to pronounce?

[@kinoe2047]

omg dude let the woman speak please! The interviewers RUDE and redundant ass questions were hard to bear. "why take the case? why did u take THIS case? your fame is obviously a factor, I know this touched your heart but why this case? your fame? what about your fame in this case? your fame? could you please talk about your fame? speaking of fame... dude, she wanted to talk about her work. Her patience is outstanding.

[@stayalivestudent1708]

she is real beautiful woman ...

[@beakycole9211]

Someone needs to teach this guy some manners..