Azerbaijan's top court on Wednesday ordered the release of prominent investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who was jailed on corruption charges last year that triggered an international uproar, her lawyer said.

"Azerbaijan's Supreme Court threw out Ismayilova's initial seven-and-a-half-year sentence and handed her a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence," the lawyer, Fariz Namazly, told AFP.