“Mama, brace yourself, you have to be strong.” This is what my daughter, the journalist Khadija Ismayilova, told me just before she was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison yesterday afternoon. What happened was awful but we were ready for it. We both knew the sentence would be seven to eight years. But it’s still painful for me.

When the judge read the sentence, Khadija laughed. That’s what my girl is like. She always smiles, always laughs – that’s who she is. But although the judges in that crowded, hot Baku courtroom read the verdict, they weren’t the ones who determined her fate, not really. It came from higher up. The government of Azerbaijan wants to lock her up to try to bury the truth about its corruption, its crimes.

It’s no wonder that the government wants to silence Khadija. Her investigations on corruption have even exposed the dealings of the president and his family. She also trained many young journalists to report on corruption. The government is frightened of Khadija and wants to silence her and everyone else who dares to speak out.

Over the past few years Azerbaijan has enjoyed all the benefits of being in Europe’s club while breaking all its rules. It has hosted the European Games and the Eurovision song contest. It has even chaired the Council of Europe, Europe’s main human rights body. All the while, however, it has unleashed a cynical and vicious campaign to persecute Azerbaijanis who fight for justice and free speech.

In Azerbaijan today, the government has a total monopoly on power and information. It has locked up Khadija and a hundred others – journalists, activists, bloggers, members of the opposition; anyone who challenges the government’s monopoly or dares to criticise its behaviour.

The government thought throwing Khadija in jail would solve their problem. But they haven’t succeeded in silencing my Khadija. As she told the court, despite all they have done to her, she didn’t break, and she didn’t bow. Khadija has always been a fighter, ever since she was a little girl. She always watched over her two sisters, always pushed me to make sure they did well in school. When Khadija was 10 she wrote a poem about the nuclear bomb. It read something like: “Ban the bomb, no more wars, let people live in peace.” From then on, it was clear to me she wanted to change the world for the better. Now that she’s in jail, she’s writing poetry again.

I get to see Khadija once a week, on Wednesdays. I am allowed to bring her weekly food parcels. She’s doing OK. I’m proud of my daughter. She’s a very strong girl – very positive and very much together. She never complains.

Thousands of people around the world are now demanding Khadija’s freedom, and other journalists have promised to continue her investigations into high-level corruption. It turns out that Khadija and her colleagues are very brave.

Because while they are ready to risk everything to do the right thing, the same cannot be said for the EU. All the foreign officials who have come to Khadija’s trial should directly confront President Aliyev and tell him to release Khadija and all political prisoners, or suffer real consequences from Europe and the UN.

Azerbaijan locked up Khadija and the others, but has the gall to call it “justice” because it got away with it. My daughter will remain a prisoner until Azerbaijan has to pay a real price for locking her up.