Azerbaijan's Government Intensifies Its War on Free Expression
The latest show of repression by state forces in Azerbaijan leaves no doubt that both journalists and bloggers exercise their right to express themselves freely at their own risk.
Emin Abdullayev (left) and Adnan Hajizade
The victims this time around are bloggers and youth activists Emin Abdullayev (blogger name Emin Milli) and Adnan Hajizade, who on Wednesday were sentenced to 30 and 24 months in prison respectively after being charged with hooliganism and inflicting minor bodily harm.
In reality their crime was having the nerve to use their blogs to criticize the government.
Here is from Article 19:
"The criminal investigation and trial proceedings have been widely criticised by international and national observers as flawed and pre-determined. An ARTICLE 19 observer, present at one of the court hearings on 6 November, witnessed one of the alleged victims testified that he did not remember writing a statement accusing Milli and Hajizade, a statement which had also reportedly stated he was attacked by three men."
Several international press freedom and human rights organizations agree that these are trumped-up charges to get two pesky critics out of the way.
Amnesty International, for instance, has adopted both Milli and Hajizade as prisoners of conscience.
"The charges against the two activists were fabricated to curtail their right to freedom of expression and in response to their criticism of the Azerbaijani authorities. Both men must be released immediately and unconditionally," said Nicola Duckworth, director of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia programme.
Amnesty International gives a detailed account of the events that led to their arrest and imprisonment here.
Back on April 17, WPFC sent a letter to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev congratulating him for releasing two journalists through a "Pardon Act" but also reminding him that several other journalists were at that time still in prison only because of their audacity to question or challenge the actions of public officials.
The letter reminded President Aliyev of the following:
"Arresting journalists because of their professional activity is a serious attack not only on their fundamental human rights, including press freedom, but also on their audience, who thus are deprived of important information about issues of public interest. By keeping them in prison, the state also holds their audience hostage to an arbitrary decision that threatens fundamental democratic principles.
"The harassment and illegal detention of members of the media represent grave violations of fundamental human rights postulates enshrined not only in the Azeri Constitution but also in international covenants, such as the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), of which your country is signatory."
Thanks to international pressure such as the WPFC letter and several others, the Azeri government has been compelled to release journalists from prison.
But this latest act of repression against two bloggers leaves no doubt that, if left alone, public officials in Azerbaijan will continue their abusive ways.
Emin Abdullayev (left) and Adnan Hajizade
The victims this time around are bloggers and youth activists Emin Abdullayev (blogger name Emin Milli) and Adnan Hajizade, who on Wednesday were sentenced to 30 and 24 months in prison respectively after being charged with hooliganism and inflicting minor bodily harm.
In reality their crime was having the nerve to use their blogs to criticize the government.
Here is from Article 19:
"The criminal investigation and trial proceedings have been widely criticised by international and national observers as flawed and pre-determined. An ARTICLE 19 observer, present at one of the court hearings on 6 November, witnessed one of the alleged victims testified that he did not remember writing a statement accusing Milli and Hajizade, a statement which had also reportedly stated he was attacked by three men."
Several international press freedom and human rights organizations agree that these are trumped-up charges to get two pesky critics out of the way.
Amnesty International, for instance, has adopted both Milli and Hajizade as prisoners of conscience.
"The charges against the two activists were fabricated to curtail their right to freedom of expression and in response to their criticism of the Azerbaijani authorities. Both men must be released immediately and unconditionally," said Nicola Duckworth, director of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia programme.
Amnesty International gives a detailed account of the events that led to their arrest and imprisonment here.
Back on April 17, WPFC sent a letter to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev congratulating him for releasing two journalists through a "Pardon Act" but also reminding him that several other journalists were at that time still in prison only because of their audacity to question or challenge the actions of public officials.
The letter reminded President Aliyev of the following:
"Arresting journalists because of their professional activity is a serious attack not only on their fundamental human rights, including press freedom, but also on their audience, who thus are deprived of important information about issues of public interest. By keeping them in prison, the state also holds their audience hostage to an arbitrary decision that threatens fundamental democratic principles.
"The harassment and illegal detention of members of the media represent grave violations of fundamental human rights postulates enshrined not only in the Azeri Constitution but also in international covenants, such as the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), of which your country is signatory."
Thanks to international pressure such as the WPFC letter and several others, the Azeri government has been compelled to release journalists from prison.
But this latest act of repression against two bloggers leaves no doubt that, if left alone, public officials in Azerbaijan will continue their abusive ways.
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