OL! Blog - English version

HOMEPAGE

2009-10-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Thomas Hammarberg: Bloggers case of our main concerns in Azerbaijan
	On Oct 1, 2009, E.Majidli, representing the AN Network, and the Chairman of the Committee of Human Rights, C.Ganizade, met with High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, T.Hammarberg.
	read more
Committee In Defense Of Youth Activists / Press Release
	In the court session on bloggers case which took place on Oct 1, 2009, defense attorney presented photos to the court evidencing that statement of investigation, testimonies of victims and witnesses for prosecution are untrue.
	read more
Azerbaijan: Defense argues that photos vindicate youth activists’ claims
	Defense lawyers for two Azerbaijani youth activists presented photos on October 1 during the duo’s trial that appeared to cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.
	read more
Defense witnesses testify youth activists were victims of unprovoked attack
	The defense began presenting its case on September 29 in the trial of two Azerbaijani youth activists accused of assault.
	read more
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Rejects Criticism Of Bloggers Case (Video)
	Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov says that the trial of two jailed bloggers must be allowed to run its course before it can be criticized, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.
	read more

Thomas Hammarberg: Bloggers case of our main concerns in Azerbaijan

2009-10-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

On 1 October 2009, Elnur Majidli, representing the Alumni Network (AN Network) in France, and the Chairman of the Committee of Human Rights, Chingiz Ganizade, met with High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Thomas Hammarberg.

Current human rights issues in Azerbaijan were discussed during the meeting held at the central office of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Among these issues, the focus was on the arrest of young bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, political prisoners and factors preventing the effective development of democracy in the country.

Chingiz Ganizade emphasized the importance of the High Commissioner’s support in these matters, emphasizing the poor situation of democracy in the country. He then requested the Council of Europe to intervene in the human rights field in order to assist in the improvement of the current situation.

Introducing himself as a representative of the AN Network, Elnur Majidli talked about the illegal arrest of one of the network’s co-founders Emin Milli and of the co-founder of the OL! [Be!] Youth Movement Adnan Hajizada. He also stressed the importance of the Council of Europe’s support in securing their release.

Thomas Hammarberg said that he is informed about the current situation in Azerbaijan and is seriously concerned about bloggers’ (Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada) arrest.

The High Commissioner also mentioned that the Council of Europe is following the trial attentively and that this case is one of their main concerns in Azerbaijan.

Referring to the existence of problems with national minorities in Azerbaijan, Hammarberg voiced his doubts regarding the death of the director of the Talish Cultural Centre Novruzali Mammadov, who passed away in the prison.

Chingiz Ganizade objected that there are no problems with national minorities in Azerbaijan and that Novruzali Mammadov as well as other journalists have been arrested for their political activity rather than their belonging to a national minority.

To the question of the High Commissioner as to which issue should be followed most closely in Azerbaijan, Chingiz Ganizade answered pointing out the existence of political prisoners.

Observing that since the 18 March 2009 Constitutional Referendum Azerbaijan has increasingly moved away from democratic principles, Elnur Majidli cautioned against the growth of serious threats to freedom of expression in the country and reiterated that the arrest of the two young bloggers was due to their exercising the right to free speech.

The release of arrested journalists was also touched upon during the meeting.

Thomas Hammarberg said that he will be visiting Azerbaijan at the beginning of 2010 and that he will discuss the above-mentioned issues during his meetings with State officials. During his visit, he is also planning to meet with NGOs working in the field of human rights and democracy.

Committee In Defense Of Youth Activists / Press Release

2009-10-01T02:10:00.000-07:00

Baku, Azerbaijan, October 1, 2009

In the court session on Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Haji-zada case which took place on October 1, 2009, defense attorney presented photos to the court evidencing that statement of investigation, testimonies of victims and witnesses for prosecution are untrue.

According to the statement comprised by the investigator of Sabail District Police Department Ziya Aliyev, police detained Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Haji-zada in the restaurant “Lebanese” and delivered them to the Sabail District Police Station №9 as hooliganism suspects whereupon they were arrested.

Nevertheless, Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Haji-zada affirm that they were severely beaten by two unfamiliar young persons with athlete’s body (V. Mammadov and B. Huseynov) following which Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Haji-zada went to the Sabail District Police Station №39 in order to complain, where they were advised to approach Sabail District Police Station №9. After that they made their way to the advised police station to make complaint against the persons who attacked them in the restaurant.

In today’s court session attorneys of Emin Abdullayev and A. Haji-zada submitted the court photos which confirm that E. Abdullayev and A. Haji-zada were in the Police Station №39 after the fight in the restaurant (dated 08.07.2009) which evidence that statement of investigation and testimonies of witnesses for prosecution are not true.

N°1. Click to the article

Information on the above mentioned incident at the site Mediaforum.az (10.07.2009) where beaten Adnan ’s photos standing in front of the Sabail district police station N39 were loaded.

№2 This is Adnan Haji-zada’s close up photo taken by his friends on the day of incident.

In this sequence it seems that he is standing in the Nizami street, in front of the Sabail district police station N39.

№3. Beaten Adnan Haji-zada standing in front of the Sabail district police station N39.

№4. Photos of the same place where Adnan Haji-zada was standing on the photo N2, taken on September 20, 2009.

№5. Photos of the same police station in the Nizami Street from where the entrance of the police station is seemed.

№6. Beaten Emin Abdullayev standing outside the Sabail district police station N39 (08.07.2009.

№7. Yard of the Sabail district police station N39.

№8. Close up photo of the courtyard of the Sabail district police station N39.

№9. Emin Abdullayev standing outside the Sabail district police station N39(yard is covered with tile).

№10. Chair (is the same with in the photo N8) on which Emin Abdyullayev sat in the Sabail district police station. In this photo it seems that the coverage of the floor is the same with the coverage of the floor in the photo N9.

Azerbaijan: Defense argues that photos vindicate youth activists’ claims

2009-10-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

Mina Miradova 10/01/09

Defense lawyers for two Azerbaijani youth activists presented photos on October 1 during the duo’s trial that appeared to cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.

The hearing started with wry congratulations from one of the two defendants, 26-year-old Adnan Hajizade, a co-founder of the OL (To Be) youth movement, to employees of the General Prosecutor’s Office. October 1 marked the office’s 91st anniversary of its formation.

The trial continued with testimony from police officers who were on duty at Baku police precinct No. 39 on the evening of July 8, 2009. That is the night when Hajizade and fellow youth activist Emin Milli allegedly came to the station to report that they had been "brutally" beaten by two unknown men in a Baku cafe.

Speaking in a low voice, two of the station’s duty officers testified that they never encountered Milli and Hajizade at the station on the night in question. Defense lawyers then produced photos proving that Milli and Hajizade had indeed appeared at the station that night. The two police officers confirmed on the witness stand that the facility depicted in the photos was precinct No. 39.

Prosecutors sought a motion to exclude the testimony and evidence from the record, but the motion was denied.

Three defense witnesses, friends of the youth activists, went on to confirm Hajizade and Milli’s contention that they were assaulted by the two men portrayed by investigators as the victims of the fight, Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov.

Huseynov, the defense witnesses testified, first spoke insultingly to Hajizade and Milli while the two were supposedly discussing "youth issues" and everyday life. When the pair did not respond to the insults, Mammadov reportedly approached Milli, asked what he was saying, and then head-butted him. Mammadov allegedly delivered a subsequent punch to Hajizade.

The witnesses claimed that Mammadov directed his punches only at Hajizade and Milli, while Huseynov prevented other cafГ© customers from stopping the fight. The motive for the attack was unclear, they said. The three young men later claimed that Huseynov and Mammadov had entered the police station laughing. "How could they laugh if they were beaten up?" defense witness Bahram Ahmedi asked.

The defense will be allowed to invite a medical expert to the court to explain the results of an examination performed on Hajizade and Milli. The trial is scheduled to resume on October 7.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s government is coming under increasing international pressure in connection with the youth activists’ trial. On September 28, Assistant US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip H. Gordon told the United Nations General Assembly that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had raised the youth activists’ trial with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and had "underscored our interest in that case and our interest in seeing an open and fair process," media outlets reported.

US embassy spokesperson in Baku Terry Davidson told EurasiaNet that "we raise this issue in every meeting with the government." Davidson stressed that "the United States has a very strong concern about this, and really hopes the trial will have good results."

Editor's Note: Mina Miradova is a freelance writer based in Baku.

To read original article click here

Defense witnesses testify youth activists were victims of unprovoked attack

2009-09-29T02:04:00.000-07:00

9/29/09

The defense began presenting its case on September 29 in the trial of two Azerbaijani youth activists accused of assault. Defense witnesses flatly contradicted the prosecution’s contention that the youth activists were the instigators of a fight. Instead, the court heard testimony that portrayed the duo as the victims of an unprovoked attack.

Twenty-six-year-old Adnan Hajizade, a co-founder of the OL (To Be) youth movement and 30-year-old Emin Milli, a co-founder of the online Alumni Network, were arrested on July 8 for hooliganism after they allegedly started the brawl in a Baku cafe. They have continuously maintained their innocence since their arrest.

The September 29 court session began with testimony from four prosecution witnesses: the restaurant’s cook and three police officers who arrived on the scene the night of the incident. Like many of the prior witnesses, those testifying for the prosecution on September 29 gave vague responses under cross-examination. One police witness, for example, was unable to state what kind of injuries the complainants, Vasul Mammadov and Babek Huseynov, sustained during the fight.

"I don’t know," was a common refrain heard from all of the prosecution witnesses.

One police officer, admitting that both Hajizade and Milli had visible injuries, testified the two youth activists were arrested because "they had been involved in a fight." Milli, questioning the officer from behind the bars of the defendants’ holding-pen, wondered aloud why the police would immediately arrest the injured party: "You saw that we were injured and you arrested us. What’s the logic in that? Why arrest the victims?"

In sharp contrast to prosecution witnesses, two defense witnesses provided detailed testimony about the incident. Parviz Atayev, a friend of the defendants who was present during the altercation, testified that neither of the alleged victims sustained any injuries. Instead, it was complainant Vasul Mammadov who threw the first punch, he claimed. When asked to describe the defendants that night, Atayev recalled that Milli "sat down in the police station, and his body was trembling."

Both Atayev and the second defense witness, Orkhan Qafarli, testified that neither Mammadov nor Huseynov suffered any injuries from the altercation, but that Milli’s leg was injured and Hajizade’s face was bloodied.

A smaller crowd of supporters gathered again outside the courtroom, waiting in the rain to cheer the defendants.

This was the fourth court appearance for Hajizade and Milli since their trial began on September 4. Azerbaijani legislation does not include a "speedy trial" provision for criminal proceedings. Although the delays between each hearing can be frustrating for the defendants and their supporters, legal experts in Azerbaijan say the length of this trial is not out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, international pressure on the Azerbaijani government continues to build. While in New York earlier in September for the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov faced pointed questions during an appearance at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute.

No fewer than five participants pressed Mammadyarov about the bloggers’ case. Mammadyarov defended the independence of the Azerbaijani judiciary system and stressed it was not appropriate for him "to intervene into the investigation and trial." He assured the audience that "a fair trial is part of the whole Constitution of Azerbaijan."

After doubts were expressed that the investigation failed to meet international standards, Mammadyrov shot back that it was inappropriate to "prejudge ? before the trial will finish." He also criticized what he claimed was the politicization of the case. In response to a question characterizing Hajizade and Milli as the victims of human rights abuses, he scolded; "you are yourself politicizing the issue, which is absolutely unacceptable."

Hikmat Hajizade, Adnan’s father and Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia from 1992-1993, spoke out about his son’s detention to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Unlike Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, the elder Hajizade has less faith in the judicial system. "In Azerbaijan we have no courts, and it is clear to everyone. Somewhere ’above’ a decision is made," he said.

Reflecting on his son’s imprisonment, the father added, "Adnan chose to be an activist, has done a lot, and now he suffers."

To read original article click here

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Rejects Criticism Of Bloggers Case

2009-09-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

25.09.09

NEW YORK -- Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov says that the trial of two jailed bloggers must be allowed to run its course before it can be criticized, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

Mammadyarov made his comments on September 22 at New York's Columbia University, where he appeared at a seminar.

Students, activists, and journalists used the opportunity to question Mammadyarov about the case of young bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, who have been jailed in pretrial detention since July.

The two are being tried in Baku on charges of hooliganism and intentional physical harm after a scuffle at a restaurant.

Milli and Hajizada say the charges against them are politically motivated because of their criticism of Azerbaijani authorities, including their opposition to a referendum to change the country's constitution that was held in March.

Rights groups have also criticized the case against the bloggers, expressing their "profound concern" in an open letter to President Ilham Aliyev earlier this month.

Though the case has received international attention, Mammadyarov said he hasn't been following the trial closely and denied any knowledge of alleged irregularities in the case.

He said the most important thing is for the trial to be impartial and for observers not to make judgments before it is concluded.

Mammadyarov chastised one questioner for "politicizing the issue, which is absolutely unacceptable."

He said Baku is "implementing" and "moving forward" with its promised rights commitments to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe.

He said any assessment of Azerbaijan's commitments should be made only of the "overall situation" in the country and "picking...one or two issues out of context is not helpful."

To see original article click here

Video from this event:

Analysis: security risks – Saving staff from the slammer

2009-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

21.09.2009

Rio Tinto’s and BP’s recent brushes with the law show the limits of how far companies can protect staff in dangerous parts of the world

In July, the Chinese ambassador was summoned twice to the Australian foreign ministry to be pressed for details of the detention of Rio Tinto’s top iron ore salesman in China and three other staff accused of spying. Stern Hu, an Australian, and the three others were detained in Shanghai, accused of stealing state secrets and bribing Chinese steelmakers. They each face up to seven years in jail if found guilty.

Meanwhile in Azerbaijan, BP, the country’s largest foreign investor, is making representations to the authorities following the arrest and detention of one of its local public relations team. Adnan Hajizade and a colleague have been held by police since early July.

These cases obviously differ in one important regard. Rio Tinto’s Stern is an Australian national, while Hajizade is an Azeri national. Yet both raise the question of what companies can do to protect their employees in the less-savoury parts of the world.

Many companies that operate in dangerous parts of the world employ heavy security protection for their staff and assets. Employees live in well-guarded compounds and in some cases are airlifted in and out rather than travel on dangerous roads.

Most companies also carry hefty kidnap and ransom (known as “K&R”) insurance, which provides access to specialist negotiators to secure the safe return of employees and materiel seized by warlords, pirates or other undesirables. Such negotiators have been very busy in recent months, given the spate of ship hijackings off the coast of Somalia, for example.

Coping with government

Of course, none of these safeguards is much use when the source of the problem is the authorities of the country where the company is working, as in the recent BP and Rio cases. In both situations, the employees were detained by legitimate government agencies, not criminal entities.

One would certainly not want to advocate that employees of international companies should be immune to the laws of the countries where they work. Take Iraq. There, western contractors were immune from arrest under almost any circumstances. This meant that even in the infamous Blackwater incident of September 2007, when the US private military company’s personnel killed 17 Iraqis in a skirmish in Baghdad, those involved were not subject to Iraqi law.

The simple truth therefore is that the sort of situation in which BP and Rio now find themselves is an unfortunate but almost inevitable corollary of doing business in countries such as China and Azerbaijan. Both countries have authoritarian regimes and are both inclined to use their legal and security apparatus as a tool of state policy.

BP and Rio are among the world leaders when it comes to understanding the risks inherent in the countries where they operate, and provide appropriate training and support to their staff; other companies are less good. The fact that even the best can still face difficulties should demonstrate to all companies seeking to operate in emerging markets the importance of a proper understanding of country political and security risk.

To see original article click here

Witnesses give mixed testimony during second day of trial

2009-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

19.09.2009

Several witnesses for the prosecution gave vague testimony yesterday at alumnus Adnan Hajizada and fellow activist Emin Milli’s hooliganism trial in Azerbaijan.

Unlike the first day of the trial on Sept. 16, spectators and journalists were allowed into the courtroom.

One of the men who said Hajizada and Milli attacked them, Babek Huseynov, said he had spent time in the hospital after the fight on July 8, but did not remember what he was treated for, according to the Turan Information Agency.

Huseynov also said that he was a wrestler in high school and trained for a time in martial arts, according to news reports.

After Huseynov made that statement, Milli asked how it was possible that he and Hajizada could overpower trained athletes. Huseynov did not give an answer, according to EurasiaNet.org. In Azerbaijan, defense attorneys, attorneys for the prosecution and defendants can ask questions of witnesses at any point during their testimony.

Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov, the other man who said the bloggers had attacked him, said the fight had begun after they approached Hajizada and Milli when their language offended some women in the restaurant. But a waitress at the restaurant where the fight occurred testified that she did not hear Hajizada and Milli use any foul language.

The owner of the restaurant where the fight occurred, the owner’s father and other witnesses who were at the restaurant testified that they did not see who started the fight. There were also different accounts of where Hajizada and Milli were when the police arrived.

Several supporters who had gathered outside the courthouse cheered “Emin!” and “Adnan!” as the defendants left the courthouse.

A date has not been set for the next hearing, but should take place within the next few weeks, according to EurasiaNet.org.

To see original article click here

Testimony Given At Trial Of Azerbaijani Bloggers

2009-09-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

18.09.2009

BAKU -- Ahearing in the trial of two jailed Azerbaijani bloggers accused of "hooliganism and infliction of minor damage" went into its third day, with representatives from international organizations and foreign journalists observing the process, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reported.

Bloggers Emin Milli, 30, and Adnan Hajizada, 26, were detained on July 8 after they were confronted in a restaurant and a scuffle ensued.

The bloggers reject the charges, saying they are politically motivated.

Babek Huseynov, one of the men involved in the incident at the restaurant, testified that he collapsed when he was pushed by Hajizada and that his nose was hurt in the fall.

Huseynov, who filed a complaint with the police, said he wrote "what the police told me" when was asked what he wrote in his complaint.

The court rejected a complaint from the bloggers' parents against officials who have refused to allow them to visit their sons in detention. The parents said they would appeal the court's decision.

At the first hearing, on September 4, the court rejected a request for the conditional release of the bloggers as well as a defense lawyers' request for an additional investigation into the charges.

Video recordings of the scene of the incident by security cameras and the mobile phones of witnesses were also rejected by the judge.

Six of the bloggers' supporters were detained at the second trial on September 16 because they were wearing T-shirts that said "I am also a hooligan."

On September 15, Reporters Without Borders urged Judge Araz Huseynov to heed the calls by various human rights organizations and governments for the bloggers to be released.

"We reiterate our call for the release of Hajizada and Milli," the group said. "They were arrested for political reasons and the charges brought against them are clearly baseless."

To see original article click here

Sufferers mix testimonies at the trial of the bloggers

2009-09-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

18.09.2009

Trial on the case of the bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli continued today in the Sabail regional court. Bloggers are accused of hooliganism at the restaurant “Lebanese” on July 8 in Baku.

Prior to the trial the lawyer Isakhan Ashurov asked the court to allow parents of the accused to meet normally with their children in accordance with the provisions of the European convention on Human rights. Judge promised to let them meet after the session.

Then the sufferer Babek Huseynov gave testimonies. Responding the questions of lawyers he confessed that deal with martial art Wushu.

Being asked , can Huseynov recognize the girls because of whom the fight began Huseynov said “no?” Then he repeat that Emin beat Vusal, and Adnan beat him. Being asked can he recognize a policeman who took him to police sation, Huseynov gave negative answer. He said stayed in the hospital 8-9 days, but could not explain what had happened to him, and said that he had a pain in his side.

Being asked what he wrote in the appeal to police Huseynov said: “I wrote what policeman told me to write.” Huseynov could not answer to the question how the accused could beat him, a sportsman. He said that he “was afraid to be arrested,” that’s why he gave interview via Internet. But Huseynov do not know the name of famous internet-portals of Azerbaijan.

Then the witness Ilkin Alizade, the owner of “Lebanese” restaurant said that he did not see the fight, and was told about it on the phone. The damage caused to his restaurant was about 40-50 manat. The accused did not pay the bill, but he does not have any claims against them/ said the owner. The other witness Dashgin Abbasov, working as a guard of cars in front of restaurant also said that he did not see the fight. He heard a noise, and could see how two men escaping the restaurant. Then policemen came.

The other witness, a waitress by name Gulshan told that at 18:00 six or seven people came to the restaurant. In 45 minutes two more people came. Then the fight began, but she did not see who begun first. The waitress said she did not see the girls because of which the fight began.

Father of the owner of the restaurant, Rizvan Alizade said he did not see who had started the fight. Contrary to the words of the owner of restaurant, Alizade and the waitress said that Adnan and Emin paid the bill.

Neither guard nor father of the owner of restaurant, nor waitress heard abusive language at the restaurant. But sufferers stated that namely bad language caused indignation of some girls, and it caused the fight.

The trial finished, and hearings have been postponed for uncertain period. On completion of the trial youth activists sang Azerbaijan’s hymn and cried out “Freedom!”

To see original article click here

Reporters without borders call to release bloggers

2009-09-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

17.09.2009

Reporters Without Borders urges Judge Araz Huseynov to heed the calls by human rights organisations and governments for the release of bloggers Adnan Hadji Zadeh and Emin Milli when they appear in court for the second hearing in their trial on charges of "hooliganism" and “deliberate physical violence.”

“We reiterate our call for the release of Hadjizadeh and Milli,” the press freedom organisation said. “They were arrested for political reasons and the charges brought against them are clearly baseless. We are outraged by the violation of their defence rights and the judicia bias that marked the first hearing.”Hadjizade, and Milli were arrested on patently spurious hooliganism charges in Baku on 8 July after being assaulted by three men, identified as lkin Alizade, Vusal Mamedov and Babek Huseynov.

The two bloggers appeared in handcuffs during the initial hearing held before a Sabail district court on 4 September, in a room that was so small that court officials used it as grounds for limiting the access of the public and press.

The lawyers for the defence asked for the hearing to be held in a bigger room but Judge Huseynov ruled that it should be held in the small room at the request of the lawyers representing the “victims,” who claimed that “state secrets” were involved.

The judge also rejected the defence lawyers’ request for an additional investigation to be conducted into charges. The so-called victims have never produced any evidence of the injuries they claimed to have sustained in the incident.

The defence lawyers also asked the court to recognise that the rights of their clients had been violated inasmuch as they had been denied access to their lawyers during detention. This request was rejected as well.

Additional evidence of the bloggers’ innocence (recordings of the scene of the incident by security cameras and the mobile phones of witnesses) was submitted to the court by the defence lawyers, but the judge rejected it. “If the court is impartial (…) it must take account of the videos,” Isakhan Ashurov, one of the defence lawyers said.

The court also rejected a request for the conditional release of Hajizadeh and Milli at the 4 September hearing.

The refusal to consider evidence submitted by the defence is a violation of the right to due process as guaranteed by article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Azerbaijan is subject as a member of the Council of Europe.

The refusal to release the defendants between the preliminary hearing and the trial violates article 9.3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This article stipulates that defendants should not be routinely detained when there are other ways of ensuring that they attend a trial.

The bloggers’ parents yesterday asked another judge, Elnur Hasanov, to allow them to visit the defendants, arguing that denial of visiting rights was violating the respect of privacy and family life as protected by article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Consideration of the request was postponed until 17 September.

Zadeh’s father, Hikmat Hadji Zadeh, said: “Azerbaijan’s anti-democratic regime is doing its best to suppress expression, but the new generation and ours are continuing the struggle for free expression.”

STATE DEPARTMENT REMAINS CONCERNED ABOUT CASE OF THE BLOGGERS

US State Department has responded to Congressman James P. Moran's (D-Virginia) letter regarding the arrested Azerbaijani bloggers, Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli.

According to Turan's Washington DC correspondent, the letter signed by Michael C.Polt, Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, says that the Washington remains concerned about the arrest and detention of the bloggers.

"Those concerns have been brought to the attention of senior Azerbaijani officials, urging them to release Mr. Hajizade and Mr. Milli, grant them due process and proper legal assistance and medicalcare. The letter further states that the State Department will continue raising this issue with the government of Azerbaijan" -said State Department's representative.

On August 24, Congressman Moran sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, where he expressed suspicions that the arrests were the result of politically expressed views of the bloggers and theconcern that they will not receive a fair trial in Azerbaijan.
He concluded the letter emphasizing that “it is important for the US to show that it is concerned when freedom of expression is stifled wherever it occurs.”

To see original article click here

Isakhan Ashurov: Judge refuses to attach video-images from “Lebanese” restaurant to the case

2009-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

14.09.2009

The lawyer Isakhan Ashurov met in jail with his client, the blogger Adnan Hajizade. Hajizade did not complain of conditions he is kept in, Ashurov said. At the same time Ashurov expressed indignation with the course of Preparatory trial which took place on September 4 and did not consider a number of principal appeals, in particular the appeal to attach video-images about the incident which took place in Lebanese restaurant and everything that had taken place is clearly seen. The court rejected the appeal to send an enquiry of Azercell Mobile Operator for getting hardcopy of telephone conversations of the participants of incident prior and after the fight.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade are accused of beating of three people, and they can be arrested for five years under the Article 127 (causing of less grave body injures) and the Article 221 (hooliganism.) Incident took place at Lebanese restaurant, but in fact the bloggers Hajizade and Milli were attacked. After they appealed to police against the hooligans, they were arrested as instigators of fight. Real reason for the arrest of bloggers became a satirical video-reel placed by Milli and Hajizade in Internet.

Trial on the case is planned for September 16.

To see original article click here

Miklosh Harashti: End must be put to journalists’ harassment

2009-09-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

10.09.2009

The young bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada will not be deprived of freedom, Miklosh Harashti, OSCE special representative for media freedom, has come to such a conclusion after the meeting with Ali Hasanov, chief of the public-political department of the presidential administration.

Harashti called Azerbaijani authorities’ intention to cancel criminal responsibility for libel “good news.” The journalists must not be prosecuted on the basis of framed-up charges. The meeting with Hasanov has instilled Harashti with this hope.

Harashti said the convicted journalists should be pardoned by president. Asked if such a pardon is expected in the near future, Harashti said: “This issue is under discussion. We keep on insisting of release of the sentenced journalists,” Harashti said.

Harashti said that broadcast of Voice of America, Radio Liberty and BBC radio stations on local waves must be resumed. “Pluralism in media is impossible without that,” he said.

Asked about his attitude towards the Azerbaijani officials’ appeals to establish control over internet, Harashti said: “Control over internet can lead to negative consequences, because internet in Azerbaijan is the last source of pluralist information,” he said.

Harashti said it is impossible to impose restrictions on internet. “It is possible to limit access to one blog, but the same information can be found through another blogs,” Harashti said.

During his current visit Harashti has also met with Mahmud Mammadguliyev, Deputy Foreign Minister, Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova and representatives of media and journalism organizations.

He has visited journalists Eynulla Fatullayev and Ganimat Zahidov in jail. But he was not allowed to meet with the bloggers, because it is prohibited by the law.

To see original article click here

Swedish Youth Federations demand the immediate release of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh in a letter to President Aliyev

2009-09-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

04 Sep 2009

Leaders of all the Youth Federations of the seven political parties in the Swedish Parliament, have in a joint letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, expressed their concern over the detainment of the two young bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh. The letter states that the youth leaders finds the arrestment of Emin and Adnan politically motivated and demand their immediate and unconditional release. They also demand that all charges against them are dropped and that the perpetrators are brought to account. The letter is ended with a note to the Azerbaijani government underlining that the undersigned will continue to follow the case of the two bloggers, as well as the genreal development in the country.

To see original article click here

Reuters: "Azerbaijan tries bloggers; rights groups concerned"

2009-09-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Fri Sep 4, 2009 7:22pm IST

By Afet Mehtiyeva

BAKU (Reuters) - Two opposition bloggers went on trial in Azerbaijan on Friday in what rights groups say is part of an attempt to silence dissent and serve warning to emerging online media in the oil-producing state.

Adnan Hajizade, 26, and Emin Milli, 30, were arrested in July after an incident in a cafe in Baku. They say they were victims of an unprovoked attack, while police have charged them with hooliganism and inflicting minor bodily harm.

They face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Their arrest came shortly after Hajizade posted his latest tongue-in-cheek swipe at authorities under President Ilham Aliyev in which he held a news conference dressed as a donkey.

Milli, a member of the youth opposition group Alumni Network, said the trial was a "political process" motivated by their online work.

"We are just expressing our opinion as citizens of this country. Such things (their arrests) happen only in authoritarian states," he told the hearing attended by Western diplomats and civil society representatives.

The judge refused bail and adjourned the trial until Sept 16.

The European Union has expressed concern over the case, and international rights watchdogs have warned of a crackdown on online media in the tightly-controlled former Soviet republic.

"OMINOUS SIGN"

"It's really giving out a signal - don't try to organise yourselves, don't try to come up with means of public debate and particularly don't try new media," Nathalie Losekootat freedom of expression watchdog Article 19, told Reuters.

In a statement, Freedom House said the case was "an ominous sign that the government is expanding its crackdown on freedom of expression to include new media."

Azeri authorities deny it is politically motivated, saying it is "an ordinary hooliganism case".

But opposition politicians and rights groups say Aliyev's government is growing increasingly intolerant of dissent from civil society and the media.

They accuse the West of muting its criticism out of fear of losing out on Azeri energy reserves in the Caspian Sea.

In July, the independent U.N. Rights Committee expressed concern at the blogger case, as well as reports of attacks on journalists, the closure of independent newspapers and removal of licences for foreign radio stations to broadcast locally.

The Aliyev family has dominated Azerbaijan for decades, first under long-serving leader Heydar Aliyev and since 2003 under his son Ilham. Rights groups say a personality cult built around Heydar has made dissent dangerous.

The government denies curbing freedoms, and points to an economic boom -- fuelled by oil -- that it says makes Aliyev genuinely popular. Economic growth has slowed considerably this year and last due to a fall in oil prices.

(Additional reporting by Lada Yevgrashina and Matt Robinson)

To see original article click here

Freedom House: "Azerbaijani Bloggers' Case Widens Assault on Free Expression"

2009-09-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Washington
September 2, 2009

Freedom House urges Azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against two young bloggers arrested shortly after posting a satirical video on YouTube showing a donkey giving a press conference. The trial of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, scheduled to begin Friday, is an ominous sign that the government is expanding its crackdown on freedom of expression to include new media.

A lawyer for Hajizade and Milli said they were attacked by two men at a restaurant in Baku July 8 and arrested on hooliganism charges after reporting the incident at a local police station. Hajizade is cofounder of the opposition group OL while Milli is a member of the youth opposition group Alumni Network. The men, who remain in pretrial detention, face up to five years in jail if convicted.

"The case against Hajizade and Milli raises deeply troubling questions about the rule of law in Azerbaijan," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director. "This case fits a disturbing pattern under which independent journalists and others seeking to express themselves end up in the criminal justice system."

The internet is one of the only remaining outlets for dissenting views in Azerbaijan. The country ranks 168 out of the 195 countries and territories covered in the 2009 edition of Freedom of the Press. From an already poor level of performance, Azerbaijan’s press freedom score has fallen further during the presidency of Ilham Aliyev. Journalists are routinely threatened and assaulted with impunity, and five reporters and editors remained behind bars in 2008, with charges ranging from libel and defamation to tax evasion and drug trafficking.

The bloggers' case closely resembles that of opposition journalist Genimet Zakhidov who was sentenced to four years in prison last year for "hooliganism and causing minor bodily harm." Police arrested Zakhidov after a man and woman staged a brawl on the street near his Baku office. Other imprisoned journalists include Eynulla Fatullayev, editor of Realny Azerbaijan and Gündalik Azarbaycan and Nazim Guliyev, editor and founder of Ideal.

At the end of last year, the government suspended international broadcasters including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America and the BBC from local frequencies. The move came as the country’s leadership advanced a measure to lift term limits on President Aliyev, opening the prospect of a leader-for-life governance system. Azerbaijan experienced the greatest democratic decline of any of the 29 countries covered in the 2009 edition of Nations in Transit, Freedom House's annual study tracking reform in the former communist states of Europe and Eurasia.

"The government of Azerbaijan is severely shrinking the space for free expression, which has serious implications for a range of critical issues, including Azerbaijan’s ability to diversify its economy from reliance on the energy sector to its capacity to combat rampant corruption," said Christopher Walker, Freedom House director of studies.

Azerbaijan is ranked Not Free in the 2009 edition of Freedom in the World, Freedom House’s annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, and in the 2009 version of Freedom of the Press.

BBC: "Jail threat for donkey bloggers"

2009-09-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Two bloggers from Azerbaijan are facing up to five years in jail after posting a video of a donkey giving a news conference on YouTube.

Shortly after the video was released, Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli were held on hooliganism charges following a scuffle in a restaurant.

Their lawyer says the arrests were politically motivated.

But authorities insist they are investigating a simple criminal case.

In the video, the donkey extols the benefits of living in Azerbaijan and praises the government for its positive attitude towards donkeys.

The video was seen by many as a send-up of government news conferences, which critics say are often little more than propaganda events.

"This incident is definitely politically motivated," said Adnan Hajizade's lawyer Isakhan Ashurov.

"My client did not beat anybody, quite the opposite."

The Azerbaijani government denies that the bloggers' arrest was politically motivated.

"People are not arrested in Azerbaijan because of political activity," said Ali Hasanov, a senior adviser to President Ilham Aliyev, in a statement.

"There was a scuffle between some young people and some of them were injured.

"Law enforcement agencies are investigating the case and will give an impartial assessment," he added.

'Black spot'

Speaking to the BBC, Elsa Vidal - Europe desk officer with Reporters Without Borders - said that press freedoms in Azerbaijan were almost non-existent, making it "one of the black spots of the former USSR".

"The situation is still severe and local public servants enjoy virtual immunity from an investigation from the press when they try and expose corruption," she said.

"There are no grounds for the bloggers to be prosecuted. They should be released and all accusations should be dropped.

"The authorities have more to lose in jailing the bloggers than in freeing them, but who knows what will actually be said at the trial?" she added.

The UN Human Rights Committee also raised concerns about the arrests, saying there were "extensive limitations to the right to freedom of expression" in Azerbaijan.

Supporters of the pair say the arrests might have backfired and given the video far more prominence than it would otherwise have had.

A number of websites calling for the release of the two men have gone live, along with a Facebook group with almost 1,000 members. There is also a video petition.

"Before the arrest, only a few hundred people had seen the video," Erkin Gadirli, a member of the bloggers' support group, told the AFP news agency.

"Since the arrest, the video has been seen by thousands and the number continues to grow.

"The arrest has only promoted the video."

To see original article click here

Telegraph: "Bloggers imprisoned for posting donkey video on YouTube"

2009-09-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Mild spoof of their government and media lands two twenty-something Azerbaijanis in jail

By Emma Hartley
Published: 3:52PM BST 01 Sep 2009

Two Azerbaijani bloggers face up to five years in prison for posting a video on YouTube of a donkey giving a press conference.

Adnan, Hajizade, 26, and Emin Milli, 29, posted the satirical video, which has English subtitles, in a send-up of Azerbaijani government and media.

The video is tame by Western standards. Yet shortly after the video was released Mr Hajizade and Mr Milli were arrested after a scuffle at a restaurant in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, and are being held under a two-month pre-trial detention order.

Isakhan Ashurov, the pair’s lawyer, said: “This incident is definitely politically motivated. My clients did not beat anybody. Quite the opposite.”

According to Amnesty International’s website, the two young men were discussing online activism when two well-built men were said to have approached their group, demanded that they stop talking about politics, and assaulted Mr Milli and Mr Hajizade.

The assault reportedly resulted in injuries to them, including the breaking of Mr Hajizade’s nose and injury to Mr Milli’s leg.

They went to the police to lodge a complaint. However, rather than allowing them to do so, the police detained first Mr Hajizade and then Mr Milli when the latter reportedly refused to leave the police station without his fellow activist.

Both are said to have been charged with “hooliganism carried out by a group of people”, which carries up to five years’ imprisonment.

The alleged assailants were reportedly discharged.

Azerbaijan is a secular presidential republic, which got its independence from the former USSR in 1991.

It is it is bounded by the Caspian sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the north-west, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south.

Reporters without Borders, a Paris-based organisation, released a statement saying that the decision to hold the bloggers was “disproportionate” and “typical of arbitrary judicial decisions taken with government opponents”.

The UN’s human rights committee also raised concerns about the arrests and issued a statement condemning “extensive limitations to the right to freedom of expression in Azerbaijan”.

Although Azerbaijan is nominally a representative democracy and is a member of the UN's Human Rights Council, recent elections were contested and abuses of civil rights and freedom of the press are frequently reported.

The 2008 Freedom in the World report by US-based Freedom House, which tries to measure democracy and political freedom, labeled Azerbaijan a “not free country”. Freedom House was founded by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1941.

To see original article click here

Protest Rally Was Held in Washington, DC in Support of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli

2009-08-31T22:37:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON. August 28, 2009. A protest rally, organized by Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD), was held today in front of Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington, DC, in support of the arrested bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli. The action was called at the initiative of a group of Azerbaijani-Americans and was attended by about 40 people from different cities in the United States, including representatives of Azerbaijani-American community, Reporters Without Borders, University of Richmond and other American public.

Holding US and Azerbaijani flags, protesters chanted slogans and held posters demanding freedom for Adnan Hajizada, Emin Milli, Ganimat Zahid, Eynulla Fatullayev and other Azerbaijani journalists and political prisoners, and denouncing the repression of free speech and dictatorship in Azerbaijan. Some of the slogans included “Free Azeri Bloggers, Arrest Corrupt Azeri Officials”, “Ilham Aliyev, You Are Responsible For Arrest of Adnan and Emin”, “Freedom for Adnan and Emin”, “Respect Free Speech and Human Rights”, “Rule by Law Not by Force”, “Down with Tyranny”, “Long Live Republic, Down with Monarchy” and others.

A representative of Reporters Without Borders, Clothilde Le Coz, has read a statement at the rally, demanding the immediate release of Adnan and Emin and noted that “Hooliganism and defamation are the charges usually used in Azerbaijan to suppress free expression. These two bloggers have been paying a high price for the dishonesty of the authorities ever since their arrest, as well as other journalists before them.”

Some protesters wore donkey masks, recalling that one of the suspected reasons for Adnan and Emin’s arrest by the authorities was the “donkey interview” video made by their networks about the import of expensive foreign donkeys into Azerbaijan. One sign had a donkey mask on it with “$41,000 Foreign Donkey Imported into Azerbaijan” written below it.

The rally opened and ended with Azerbaijani National Anthem, and the famous overture of opera “Koroglu” by Azeribaijani composer Hajibayov was also played throughout the protest action. A petition was delivered on behalf of participants of the rally to the staff of Azerbaijani Embassy. Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD) stated that actions in support of Adnan and Emin will continue until the bloggers are freed. (Azerreport)

Video:

To see original article click here

US Congressman James Moran: I Am Concerned Mr. Hajizada and Mr. Milli Will Not Receive a Fair Trial

2009-08-26T03:32:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON. August 25, 2009. As reported by Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD), US Congressman James Moran of Virginia, a member of the powerful house appropriations committee, has sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, regarding the case of the arrested Azerbaijani bloggers Hajizada and Milli. In the letter Congressman Moran expresses suspicion that the arrest of the bloggers was motivated by their political views, and raises concerns that they will not receive a fair trial in Azerbaijan.

Congressman Moran further asks Secretary Clinton about the steps the US government is taking to ensure a fair trial for the two activists, and notes that “it is important for the United States to show it is concerned when freedom of expression is stifled wherever it occurs”.

Below is the full text of the letter:

August 24, 2009

Honorable Secretary Hillary Clinton,
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

I write to you concerning the arrests of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli in Azerbaijan. Mr. Hajizada and Mr. Milli were arrested on July 8, 2009, in Baku, on the charges of hooliganism. Their arrest received world attention as they are known civic activists and bloggers who have expressed opposition to the ruling government of Azerbaijan. It is suspected that their arrests were the result of politically expressed views rather than criminal acts.

I am concerned that Mr. Hajizada and Mr. Milli will not receive a fair trial in Azerbaijan due to a weak justice system. Is the Department of State taking any steps to ensure the aforementioned men receive a fair trial? It is important for the United States to show that it is concerned when freedom of expression is stifled wherever it occurs.

Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

James P. Moran

http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1558&Itemid=42

Letter from the Member of the German Bundestag to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

2009-08-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Dear President,

Many people in Germany, Europe and beyond are following with great concern the detention of Azerbaijani citizens Adnan and Emin, and the circumstances of this case.

Closed court proceedings, parents and foreign diplomats being refused permission to visit the prisoners, a very questionable investigation and the improper treatment of the prisoners at the beginning of their provisional detention: this cannot be reconciled with the principles to which your country has committed itself, including by its membership of the Council of Europe.

I would therefore like to request once again that you take up this matter personally. During my last visit to Baku, the public prosecution office and the police confirmed that there would be no obstacle to my visiting the prisoners if this was authorised by a higher government authority.

For this reason I am appealing again to you as the supreme state authority.

I would like to request that you issue a letter of confirmation – or order a ministry to do so – which I can show to the relevant state agencies and officials, stating that in your view, or the view of your office, there is no obstacle to my visiting the above-named prisoners during my next visit to Baku from 31 August and 1 September of this year, and that the subordinate authorities must allow me to visit on one of these days. Of course, it would be even better if the prisoners were free by then.

The police and the public prosecution office confirmed during my last visit that the investigations regarding both prisoners have been completed. Even if matters are viewed from an entirely different perspective, therefore, continuing to hold them in provisional custody appears to be unnecessary and arbitrary, from a rule-of-law perspective.

As a close friend of your country who has always worked towards good relations between Azerbaijan and Germany, I appeal to you to fulfil my request. This case is causing considerable damage to Azerbaijan’s reputation in Europe and beyond, and should be concluded as quickly as possible. Until then, an important signal would be sent by permitting the detainees’ parents and me to visit.

I greatly hope to receive your support, so that I may soon be able to travel to Baku for more welcome reasons once more.

Thank you very much in advance.

Respectfully yours,

Jörg Tauss
Member of the German Bundestag

International organizations to send their representatives to trial at Azerbaijani bloggers

2009-08-17T03:34:00.001-07:00

17/08/2009

Famous international human rights organizations such as HRW, OMCT, FIDH and Front Line have decided to send their representatives to observe the trial of the bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, reported the Institute of Peace and Democracy. The Institute is ready to accommodate the international observers.

The trial date is unknown yet, but it must take place no later than September 10, when two-month-long arrest of young people expires. The lawyers do not rule out that the trial can take place even earlier - at the end of August.

On July 8 Milli and Hajizada were assaulted in Baku’s Lebanese restaurant. But later on police has accused them of hooliganism and on July 10 Sabail region court put them under arrest for two months. The Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies have charged the bloggers with hooliganism before the court decision.

“I interpret the arrests as violation of law and arbitrariness. The young people’s arrest is politically motivated,” said lawyer Elton Guliyev. The version of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and General Prosecutor’s Office that the young people have beaten up somebody in the restaurant is an “absolute lie,” he added.

The authorities were irritated with the video shot by Adnan Hajizada and placed on internet. The video is about the donkey, which has arrived in Baku from Germany to share his experience with the Azerbaijani colleagues.

The international organizations, such as European Union and OSCE, and almost all human rights organizations have urged the Azerbaijani authorities to free the bloggers.

It is not ruled out that Hajizada and Milli will be freed in the near future. Last week, Novruz Mammadov, chief of the international department of the presidential administration, told Turan that the bloggers would be freed in a couple of days and there is no need to add political coloring to this case.

http://contact.com.az/index.php?type=news&lang=en&news_id=12910

Novruz Mammadov: Bloggers are hooligans, but they will be released

2009-08-15T03:33:00.000-07:00

15/08/2009

“It is a pity that the west is exaggerating the event,” Turan was told by the head of the international department of the President’s Administration, Novruz Mammadov, who commented on the numerous appeals to release the bloggers Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli.

“The bloggers were arrested for hooliganism, and they will be released in a couple of months. Nobody should politicize the matter,” Mammadov said.

He said the question will be settled within the law. “We do not want pressure on us and we reject attempts to misuse the situation,” he said.

http://contact.com.az/index.php?type=news&lang=az&news_id=12896

Bloggers' fate is in Western diplomats center attention

2009-08-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

The fate of arrested young bloggers and very sick and imprisoned Novruzali Memmedov remains in the center of international community's attention.

In the recent days the members of Western diplomatic bodies have held meetings with Azerbaijani Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova.

On August 11, the Ombudsman met with representatives of Belgian and Hungarian embassies Peter Booms,Tibor Szilagyi, Zoltan Bach and the Head of European Commission in Azerbaijan Alan Vaddams. On August 12, the Ombudsman met the American Embassy's representative on political affairs Joan Ganson.

Western diplomats have expressed their concern regarding the arrest of young bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli as well as ex-editor of "Tolishi seda" (The Voice of Talish) Novruzali Memmedov currently held at the hospital of Ministry of Justice Penitentiary Service.

According to the information given to "Turan" agency by Ombudsman's press service, Elmira Suleymanova has told about the Obmudsman Office's multiple branches of human rights protection, the cooperation with NGOs, government bodies and civil society, as well as cooperation with specialized international and regional organizations, with European Union and national human rights institutions in foreign countries.

Touching upon young bloggers' case, Suleymanova mentioned that since Hajizada and Milli were detained, Ombudsman Office's representatives met with them several times at the temporary detention center of Khatayi District Police Station. Apart from that, Suleymanova has turned to the Ministry of Interior and Head Prosecutor's office, asking them for an objective investigation of an initiated criminal case, checking the legality of detainment as well as to investigate the possibility of re-conciliating the affair until the court.

According to Elmira Suleymanova, the youth has not expressed their dissatisfaction with the detainment conditions. At the same time, they have refused to participate in the investigation. She stressed that they are expecting the court process.

The representatives of Ombudsman's office have also visited Novruzali Memmedov at the hospital of Ministry of Justice Penitentiary Service several times. They have also met with the management of the hospital. Medical advice on his condition as well as receiving necessary medical aid was given.

It was noted that after this visit the sick person was given more care and transferred to a room just for himself. He has been meeting regularly with lawyers and doesn't have any complains about his conditions. In order to investigate his condition more, more medical experts were sent to Novruzali Memmedov. In recent days, he will hear the final opinion on his condition and will be cured according to medical experts' opinion.

To see original article in azeri click here

Germany calls for release of activists in Azerbaijan

2009-08-12T03:43:00.000-07:00

12.08.2009

As Germany's soccer team prepares for Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match against Azerbaijan, the German government's human rights commissioner is using the event to call for the release of two civil rights activists.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade were arrested for hooliganism in Azerbaijan in July, a charge they claim is grossly unfair. The young men had been sitting quietly in a cafe when they were beaten up by two other men and subsequently arrested by local police.

They were later tried in a closed court and sentenced to two months in detention for breach of the peace.

The incident occurred immediately after Milli had given a detailed and frank interview with Germany's ZDF public broadcaster on the state of Azerbaijan's human rights record.

Since the arrest, Germany's human rights commissioner, Guenter Nooke, for whom Milli was to have worked as an interpretor, has repeatedly called on the authorities in Azerbaijan to release the men, but his demands have not been met.

If there is a second trial, the two civil rights activists could be sentenced to a further three years behind bars. Their assailants, meanwhile, have been set free.

In the glare of the floodlights

Now, with international attention fixed on Azerbaijan for the soccer match on Wednesday, Nooke has made a fresh appeal both to the authorities and the world at large.

"Sport, especially soccer connects people and different nationalities," Nooke said in a statement released by the foreign office in Berlin ahead of Wednesday's match. He added that the qualifying match is also an opportunity to take a closer look at the guest country.

And in the case of Azerbaijan, he said the human rights situation in Azerbaijan was "not satisfactory."

He said that in the course of his travels to and within Azerbaijan, he had frequently witnessed how young people critical of the government were arrested for staged and dubious crimes.

"This case must not be allowed to be swept under the carpet," Nooke said. "Once again, I call on the government in Baku to release Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade."

tkw/dpa/KNA

Editor: Chuck Penfold

To see original article click here

Elchin Behbudov asks president to release bloggers

2009-08-12T03:42:00.000-07:00

On Monday head of the Committee against Tortures appealed to the President of the country regarding the arrested bloggers. He asked to take into account the young age of Adnan Hajizadde and Emin Milli. This week Behbudov plans the meeting with blogers because of the request of their parents.

The young people were arrested on July 8 and accused of hooliganism , though they were beaten in the restaurant. They are convinced that they have become victims of political order and are being persecuted for the video reel place don Internet.

To see original article click here

The parents are getting prepared to turn to the court

2009-08-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

The parents of Emin Milli (Abdullayev) and Adnan Hajizada still have not been given permission to meet with their children.

According to Emin Milli's mother Natela Abdullayeva she was not able to meet her son even after official request: "First, I asked for a meeting unofficially. I was told that I should write a statement asking for a meeting. So I wrote, but up to this day I haven't heard anything from them."

According to the lawyer Elton Guliyev, the reasons why the detained are not allowed to meet with their parents are not clear. The parents will turn to the court in upcoming days regarding this issue:

"In the European penitentiary rules, the innocence presumption defines that the prohibition of meetings may only be caused by the social interests and national security reasons. These are exceptional cases. There is nothing exceptional in Emin Milli's and Adnan Hajizada's case for such a cancellation and prohibition."

To see original article in azeri click here

The claim by young activists was not satisfied

2009-08-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

On August 10, a claim by young activists, Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli against Baku City Main Police District, Baku Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Main Prosecutor's office was looked at by Sabayil District court.

The court which started at 3:30 PM was held closed. The lawyers objected to the closed process of the court. The claim was about the violation of youth's innocence presumption by the law and order enforcement bodies. The court did not satisfy the claim.

In two statements by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Prosecutor's Office it is talked about Adnan Hajizada's and Emin Milli's guilt. In the statements it was said that the youth has committed hooliganism and have beaten two people. This is why their detainment is legal. However, according to the youth's lawyers, only court can proclaim them guilty.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada have been arrested after the incident in "Lebanese" restaurant on July 8.

On July 10, the Sabayil District Court has arrested the youth for 2 months.

The youth's arrest has been condemned by several international organizations.

To see original article in azeri click here

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada have refused participation in investigation measures

2009-08-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

Young activists who are held currently in detention - Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada have refused participation in the investigation measures. According to the lawyer Isakhan Ashurov, the reason for this step is the fact that investigation materials have been falsified.

"According to young people, investigation is looking for fake proofs to prove their guilt instead of checking their statements," Ashurov said. According to the lawyer, the youth is sure that the investigation process will not be objective. That is why they demand the case to be transferred to the court as soon as possible.

According to Ashurov, Adnan's father Hikmat Hajizada has also claimed that Sabayil District Court has violated the article 8.1 of European Human Rights Convention. The claim is about the investigation not letting the detained to meet with their parents up to now. This is the reason why Hikmat Hajizada claims that his meeting right has been violated and wants the guilty party to be punished.

To see original article in azeri click here

Support letter from former country director of American Councils for International Education

2009-08-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

Letter from the former country director of American Councils for International Education to President of the Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov:

Dear Minister Mamadov,

This letter is offered respectfully in support of Adnan Hajizade, detained since July 8th on criminal charges of hooliganism. As former country director for the international nongovernmental organization, American Councils for International Education, and currently a professor in the United States, I have known Adnan since he was a high school student.

Only 55 students out of 1,500 applicants from Azerbaijan were chosen in 1999 to participate in the Freedom Support Act/Future Leaders Exchange Program (FSA/FLEX), a one-year high school exchange program. Adnan was one of the 55 selected. In complement to proven academic success as well aspotential, personal qualities sought in successful participants include flexibility and open-mindedness, leadership, commitment to community and society, and dedication to voluntarism and civicresponsibility. Not only did Adnan clearly demonstrate these strengths prior to program participation, but also since then his allegiance to society and to the positive development of Azerbaijan has become deeper and more mature.

While country director in Azerbaijan I had the opportunity to become well acquainted with Adnan in avariety of capacities. I saw him grow from a well-meaning high school student to an organizer and creator of orphanage and IDP outreach activities, youth programs to foster civil awareness and responsibility, and city park clean-up days. Adnan’s responsibilities at American Councils were varied and not only did he excel in his duties but he saw his work as part of a collective effort to contribute to the positive growth and strengthening of Azerbaijan.

Adnan’s potential to contribute to Azerbaijan’s social development, whether defined as community outreach generally or fostering civic awareness and responsibility specifically, or by demonstrating thatnational borders can be lines that join rather than separate, has already been shown by his volunteer activities in the last 10 years. Adnan has shown his dedication to society through an impressive array of projects and personal actions that at any age would be inspiring, but all the more so as he is just 26 years old.

Adnan is a young man of outstanding morality, possessing a deep faith in the inherent goodness of individuals, with a practiced belief that open discussion and non-violence will lead to trust and understanding between individuals and societies. When I came back to Azerbaijan this summer, I met people on the street who not having seen me for several years said, “Welcome Home.” I continue to work in my university and community in many ways to increase awareness and appreciation for Azerbaijan. I do this because of my admiration and respect for the friends and individuals I know in Azerbaijan, friends like Adnan.

I appreciate your consideration concerning Adnan, and respect the fair and impartial treatment Adnan will receive by Azerbaijan’s justice system.

Respectfully,

Dr. Jeremy Tasch
Towson University
Maryland, USA

To see original letter click here

Mjaft expresses its concern about Adnan and Emin's arrest

2009-08-07T02:37:00.001-07:00

“This is not an isolated struggle of the activists in Azerbaijan. This is our common struggle to break with our past political legacy”

Ervin Qafmolla, Mjaft's Policy Coordinator has contacted OL! Movement expressing his deep concerns about Adnan and Emin's arrest. He informed OL! Movement about the statement Mjaft has prepared. He also informed us that the statement was sent to OSCE office in Albania, European Commission as well as American and all EU embassies.

Mjaft notes that at this point the question is not simply criticizing the situation, but rather offering direct support to those "who stand for the values we all believe in." Mjaft supports Adnan and Emin by saying: "this is not an isolated struggle of the activists in Azerbaijan. This is our common struggle to break with our past political legacy."

Mjaft (Albanian for Enough) is the most prominent Albanian youth organization committed to raising awareness of many political and social problems facing Albania. Mjaft is Albania's largest movement with 8,000 members, more than 1,000 volunteers and branches in 18 cities country-wise. It was awarded the annual United National International Award for Civil Society in 2004.

FOXNEWS: Professors Protest Detention of Bloggers in Azerbaijan

2009-08-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

By Joshua Rhett Miller

An Azerbaijan blogger who studied political science in the United States is sitting in a prison cell in his home country for what family and professors say was an act of free speech.

Adnan Hajizada, 26, was arrested on July 8 with Emin Milli, 30, in Baku, Azerbaijan, accused of hooliganism in an alleged attack on two men at an outdoor restaurant. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison.

A court hearing for the University of Richmond alumnus is expected to begin on Sept. 8. But Hajizada and Milli say the real reason for the arrest was that they were being critical of the Azeri authorities, and the two men attacked them. They say they were arrested when they reported the incident to authorities.

Hikmet Hajizada, Adnan's father, told the University of Richmond's Collegian that his son, who graduated from the college in 2005, was arrested for exercising his "freedom of expression" and his political views. While freedom of the press exists in Azerbaijan — a tiny, oil-rich country sandwiched between Russia and Iran — Hikmet Hajizada said it can lead to trouble.

You can say what you like, but you can be prosecuted for it," he told the paper. "It depends entirely on who is in power, and you are not protected from this prosecution."

Hajizada said his son has not complained of poor treatment prior to his next court proceeding on Sept. 8, a date apparently confirmed with a video statement produced by his friends.

In the video, Hajizada, a blogger for the Ol! Youth Movement in Azerbaijan, wears a donkey suit as he mocks the government's reported payment of exorbitant fees to import donkeys.

Several supporters of Hajizada and Milli have posted videos demanding their release, saying they have been targeted for their online activism.

Professor Vincent Wang, chairman of the University of Richmond's political science department, is one of 18 school officials who sent letters to Virginia congressional leaders and Azerbaijan's president protesting the arrests, which he said he found "very troubling."

"Some of our alumni first called to our attention about his arrest and we thought about two things: the fate of one of our former students and the deteriorating human rights condition in Azerbaijan," Wang said Wednesday.

"We find the circumstances of their beating and their arrest very troubling, and we don't know whether this is part of a general crackdown on freedom of expression in that country."

Wang said Azerbaijan appears to be "tightening up the space for political expression," leaving less room for alternative ideas from young individuals who are becoming increasingly Westernized and Web-savvy.

Hajizada graduated with a degree in political science, and his time at Richmond likely influenced his activism halfway across the globe, Wang said.

Darby Holladay, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said the United States remains concerned about the arrest and detention of both men.

"Our embassy has been raising these concerns since the day of their arrest," Holladay told FOXNews.com. "We've urged the government of Azerbaijan to ensure due process and to provide medical care. The United States remains committed to working with the government and the people of Azerbaijan to encourage freedom of speech and freedom of association, which we view as essential elements of a democratic society."

To see original article click here

Azerbaijani court agrees to hear appeal from Hajizada and Milli on Monday

2009-08-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

By Dan Petty
Collegian Reporter

An Azerbaijani district court has agreed to consider appeals on Monday from Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, who say that law enforcement agencies violated their presumption of innocence when arresting them on charges of hooliganism.

Statements from the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor’s Office are presuming that both Hajizada, 26, and Milli, 30, are guilty, even though a court must rule on the case first, the Turan Information Agency in Azerbaijan is reporting. The court will be supervised by judge Nureddin Bagirov, Turan said.

In a brief e-mail message, Hajizada’s father, Hikmet, said the trial was still scheduled for sometime around Sept. 8.

“This is just a hearing to challenge police procedure,” he wrote.

Turan said both men’s lawyers, Isahan Ashurov and Elton Guliyev, visited the arrested activists on Monday in prison, where the men have been held since their arrest in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on July 8. Neither man apparently complained about his holding conditions, Turan reported, but they continue to insist the court decision to keep them detained for two months until their expected trial on Sept. 8 is unfair.

Hajizada — a 2005 Richmond graduate — was arrested on July 8 along with Milli at an outdoor restaurant in Baku after both were involved in a fight with two nearby patrons who witnesses say attacked the young bloggers for criticizing the Azerbaijani government.

When the fight ended, Hajizada and Milli were both injured and reported the incident to local police, who instead detained and charged them with hooliganism. Their alleged attackers counter Hajizada and Milli were attacked them first, unprovoked.

To see original article click here

Hazijada’s court hearing expected to be after Sept. 8

2009-08-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

By Dan Petty
Collegian Reporter

A court hearing in Azerbaijan for detained University of Richmond alumnus Adnan Hajizada is expected to begin sometime after Sept. 8, his father said, and a video message with a statement apparently from Hajizada also confirmed.

Hikmet Hajizada, Adnan’s father, said that his family’s requests to meet with him in prison had been repeatedly denied, but that the family was still bringing him food.

“We don’t know how well he is fed,” Hikmet Hajizada said in a telephone conversation, speaking through a translator. “He is not being tortured and he has not complained of poor treatment.”

The girlfriend of Adnan Hajizada, Parvana Persiani, wrote in an e-mail message that he had passed the message seen in the video through his lawyer. His friends responded by making the video, she said.

Because authorities are not actively investigating the case, Persiani said, it’s not immediately clear whether the trial will begin Sept. 8, a date that will be two months after he and fellow Azerbaijani blogger Emin Milli were detained.

Hajizada, 26, and Milli, 30, have been in prison since July 8, when they said they were attacked by two men as they spoke critically about the government and dined at an outdoor restaurant in Baku, the capitol of Azerbaijan.

When the scuffle ended, court documents say, both reported the incident to local police, who instead arrested them and levied charges of hooliganism, a crime that carries one to five years in prison. A court earlier upheld a decision to keep the bloggers in prison for two months before the start of their trial.

Their alleged attackers — Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov — have countered in a statement that Hajizada and Milli attacked them and started the fight, saying they were “beating us ruthlessly.”

In the interview, his father charged that his son — a 2005 Richmond graduate — had been arrested because of “his activities in the community” and his attempts to exercise “freedom of expression.” That’s a claim that friends, international human rights groups and others agree on.

Press freedom in Azerbaijan exists and is guaranteed by Azerbaijani law, his father said.

“You can say what you like, but you can be prosecuted for it,” he said. “It depends entirely on who is in power, and you are not protected from this prosecution. The international press covers this, but little.”

A U.N. human rights panel in Geneva recently criticized the limits on freedom of speech in Azerbaijan after the closure of independent newspapers in the country and the bloggers’ arrest, The Associated Press is reporting.

The panel expressed that it was “concerned at the extensive limits to the right to freedom of expression of the media” and charged that journalists were often harassed, fearful of lawsuits for alleged libel and subjected to charges of hooliganism, mentioning Hajizada and Milli specifically.

In a report published Friday, panel officials asked the government to lift restrictions on the media and protect journalists and bloggers from the kinds of attacks alleged by Hajizada and Milli.

Hajizada’s father said he had repeatedly warned him about his activism with the OL! Youth Movement and was worried it would result in arrests. His son’s efforts include producing videos and blogging, messages that are distributed through social networking Web sites, including Facebook and Twitter.

Asked whether he expected the trial to be expedited, Hikmet Hajizada acknowledged it was widely expected, but that he wasn’t clear about why they two were in prison.

“There is no investigation,” he said. “They are just sitting in prison and staring at the ceiling — just like in Russia.”

To see original article click here

The newest history of Azerbaijan (Video)

2009-08-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Video on Adnan's and Emin's activities prepared by ANTV:

US Senator Kent Conrad: These Arrests Were Likely Politically Motivated

2009-08-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON DC. August 4, 2009: In response to an inquiry from a constituency, US Senator Kent Conrad, chairman of Senate Budget Committee, made the following statement in a letter about the case of arrested Azerbaijani youth activists, Emin Milll and Adnan Hajizada:

As you know, youth democracy activists and bloggers Emin Milll and Adnan Hajizada were recently taken into custody by Azeri authorities and charged with hooliganism after they were involved in a fight that witnesses indicated they did not start.

The President of Azerbaijan has frequently faced criticism over the dwindling press freedoms in that country. In response, Internet use has risen, and these two men have been at the forefront of the effort to circumvent restrictions on the press in Azerbaijan. While government authorities deny it, it seems likely that these arrests were politically motivated. What's more, because the two men have been denied access to lawyers and medical care, it appears that the government is violating their basic rights.

In recent days both, American and German diplomats have expressed concerns about the arrests. Azeri authorities responded by asking the embassies to "stop interfering in the investigation." Please be assured that I will keep in mind your support for legislative action in condemnation of these arrests as relevant legislation comes before the Senate.

To see original article click here

Statement by US Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association

2009-08-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

US Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association’s members are concerned with the detention of its member Adnan Hajizadeh on July 8, 2009. At present, Adnan is accused in acts of hooliganism according to the Article 221.2.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

US Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association is a public union uniting the Azerbaijani alumni of various exchange programs in the United States of America. Founded in 2003, the organization’s goal is to support the creative potential of its members, and use their knowledge and skills for the development of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Adnan is the alumnus of the FLEX Program (1999-2000) sponsored by the US Department of State. He is also the alumnus of Richmond University, USA. He is known among the members of the organization as a professional and sincere person. As the member, he has taken part in trainings, and participated in the implementation of chairty, and environmental projects, as well as other initiatives directed at the development of our country. He has shown himself as a highly educated and polite man.

We believe that the investigation will be conducted in compliance with the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a fair court ruling will be made.

This statement is issued based on the voting results of the US Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association members.

To see original article click here

A protest was held in London against youth's arrest

2009-07-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

31.07.2009

On July 31st, a protest against the arrest of youth activists of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Abdullayev was held in London in front of Azerbaijani embassy. The organizers of the protest noted that the purpose of the protest is to express their dissent at Adnan and Emin's arrest and show their support to the youth and people living in Azerbaijan.

About 20 Azerbaijani students and students of foreign countries took part at the protest.

Our correspondent Konul Khalilova is reporting from the meeting. Click to listen

To see the photos from the demonstration click here

Video prepared from the demonstration:

UN panel criticizes arrest of Azerbaijan bloggers

2009-07-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

July 31, 2009

The Associated Press

GENEVA- A U.N. human rights panel has criticized limits on freedom of speech in Azerbaijan that have led to the closure of independent newspapers and the arrest of bloggers.

The U.N. Human Rights Committee says it is "concerned at the extensive limits to the right to freedom of expression of the media" in the oil-rich Caucasus country.

The panel says journalists are regularly harassed and subjected to lawsuits for alleged libel and "hooliganism."

It also expressed concern at the recent arrest of opposition bloggers Adnan Hadzhizade and Emin Milli.

The Geneva-based panel published a report Friday urging the government to lift undue restrictions on the media and protect journalists and bloggers from attacks.

To see original article in azeri click here

The deputy of German Parliament was not given permission to meet with arrested bloggers

2009-07-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

The Deputy of German Parliament (Bundestag) Yorg Tauss came to Azerbaijan to meet with arrested bloggers - Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Hajizada. The information was spread by "Turan" agency quoting the German Embassy in Azerbaijan.

Yorg Tauss is a member of Social Democrats party. The deputy who is involved in education and scientific research has special ties with Azerbaijan and National Academy of Sciences.

The deputy was not given permission to meet with arrested bloggers. This was said to "Mediaforum" website by Hikmat Hajizada, Adnan Hajizada's father. He said that he doesn't have any particular information, only that the deputy's request for a meeting was rejected. Reminding that he was not able to meet his son himself, Hikmat Hajizada noted that his request to the investigation has been left without answer. Adnan Hajizada's lawyer Isakhan Ashurov said that he doesn't have information on whether or not German deputy's request for meeting has been satisfied.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada were detained on July 8 in "Lebanese" restaurant after a fight. On July 10, they were detained for 2 months following a decision of Sabayil District Court on the charges of hooliganism.

Bloggers' lawyers appeal to court against police and prosecutor office

2009-07-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2009

TURAN: On July 30 the lawyers Isakhan Ashurov and Elton Guliyev appealed to Sabail District Court against Baku Chief Police Department and Baku Prosecutor Office as well as against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Azerbaijan's General Prosecutor Office.

According to Isakhan Ashurov, they claimed against the statements made by these bodies on July 11 and 14 of this year.

"In the statements the presumption of innocence of our clients, Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli, was violated, and we ask the court to admit the violation," Ashurov said.

"The statements alleged the guilt of Hajizadeh and Milli, but only the court can find them guilty, and the trial has not been held yet," Ashurov said and added that it was a violation of Article 6.2 of the European Human Rights Convention.

Ashurov said that on July 30 he visited Hajizadeh and Milli in jail. "They did not complain of the conditions they were kept in, but noted they had not been permitted to meet with their parents and relatives. Such a restriction is illegal," the lawyer noted.

The statements of the above-mentioned bodies noted that Hajizadeh and Milli made hooliganism on July 8 in the Lebanese cafe, and beat two visitors; therefore their detention was legal.

Azerbaijan's Steady Descent Into Authoritarianism

2009-07-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2009
By Elmar Chakhtakhtinski

Imagine you are sitting with your friends at an outdoor cafe on a pleasant summer afternoon. Suddenly, two men in jogging suits approach and start beating you and one of your pals.

Before the others drag you away from the assailants, you and your friend are badly injured -- his nose is broken, and the attackers, due to their superior muscle and fighting skills, have not sustained much damage.

When the two of you go to the nearest police station to file a report, you are initially denied access to a lawyer, then charged with hooliganism, and then, after a hearing closed to the public, remanded to detention for two months pending a trial that could result in a much longer sentence.

Meanwhile, those who assaulted you are set free without any charges.

This might sound unreal, but it is what reportedly happened on July 8 to Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, two young leaders of a pro-democracy movement in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, with which the United States has vital energy and security ties and where a struggle is under way to preserve the last remaining elements of free speech and civil society.

Continuing Rights Violations

The attack itself and the manner in which the case was handled constitute a gross violation of basic human rights and of the protections guaranteed by Azerbaijani criminal-procedural law and the country's commitments to international conventions.

To the government's displeasure, the attack on Hajizada and Milli triggered strongly worded statements by the embassies in Baku of the United States and several European countries, Council of Europe and OSCE representatives, and major human rights groups calling for their release and an open and fair investigation of their case.

This is not the first time the authorities have detained and prosecuted independent journalists and political opponents of the government. There have been formal complaints of people being subjected to assault by individuals in civilian clothes. Pro-government mobs provoked and intimidated demonstrators who protested against fraud in Azerbaijani elections of 2003 and 2005.

Youth Leading The Way

As in Moldova and Iran, the opposition movement in Azerbaijan is increasingly led by the younger generation, which relies heavily on the Internet and online social networks -- which the authorities have difficulty controlling -- to spread its message and coordinate activities.

The organizations led by Hajizada and Milli, who studied at universities in the United States and Germany, respectively, represent the most pro-Western strain of the sociopolitical spectrum in Azerbaijan.

These youth networks have consistently promoted the principles of a free and open society, individual liberties, tolerance, and responsible governance, and have been openly critical of corruption within the Azerbaijani government and its authoritarian policies. They have also been strong advocates of maintaining friendly relations with the United States, Europe, and other democratic countries.

One possible explanation cited for the arrest of Hajizada and Milli is a satirical video they posted on YouTube, Facebook, and other social networks. That footage shows a person dressed as a donkey talking about emigrating from Germany to Azerbaijan. The donkey praises the opportunities and rights Azerbaijan offers donkeys, while the writing on the screen asks, "What about the people's rights?"

The video was posted in the wake of an official report that the Azerbaijani government spent hundreds of thousands of dollars importing a dozen donkeys in a deal that may have masked corruption or the theft of public funds.

Sending Dissent Underground

When it joined the Council of Europe in 2001, Azerbaijan undertook commitments regarding democracy and the respect of human rights. Its government enjoys friendly relations with the United States and other Western countries.

However, a comprehensive crackdown against all expressions of dissent and free speech has been gradually intensifying. Journalists have been murdered, beaten, jailed on bogus charges, and blackmailed. Peaceful protests have been violently dispersed by police and attacked by well organized pro-government groups. Elections continued to be rigged and free media suppressed.

Within the last seven months, the government has shut down all Western radio stations, which were the only remaining source of information it did not control, and conducted a constitutional referendum removing the limitations on incumbent President Ilham Aliyev serving more than two consecutive presidential terms. A draft bill introduced a few weeks ago that would have imposed severe restrictions on the activities of NGOs was amended only under pressure from Western governments.

While hopes for democracy and change are rapidly waning, the public is being largely deprived of the financial benefits from oil revenues. Economic opportunities for ordinary citizens are still very limited.

If these trends continue, and if the authorities succeed in destroying the secular democratic opposition, the frustrated population may turn to extremist ideologies to express its resentment. Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of followers of various radical religious sects. They stay away from open political discourse for now, but it may only be a matter of time before they organize and start filling the ideological vacuum that the government is creating.

Whether these religious groups can mount a real challenge and seize power or whether they too will be crushed and Azerbaijan will become as totalitarian as Belarus or Turkmenistan, it's hard to see how and why the country's leaders would maintain their mostly pro-Western orientation, rather than coordinating policies with Russia and Iran. That would be a sad turn of events for Azerbaijani democracy and a big loss for U.S. and European interests in the region.

Elmar Chakhtakhtinski heads the informal U.S.-based organization Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD). The views expressed in this commentary are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL

To see original article click here

"There is no ongoing investigation process on youth's case"

2009-07-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2009

Father of young activist Adnan Hajizada, Hikmat Hajizada, says that there is no ongoing investigation process regarding his son's case. "They are not taking Adnan anywhere and neither is investigator coming. He is just sitting there and reading books." Hikmat Hajizada explains the absence of investigation process in the following manner: "Perhaps everything is clear to them."

"In the last 15 days there hasn't been any questioning or face-to-face hearings"

Let us remind you that one of the OL Movement co-founders Adnan Hajizada and AN Network co-founders Emin Milli are accused of hooliganism. When they were dining in "Lebanese" restaurant on July 8, Babak Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov sitting at the neighboring table approached them and the fight started afterwards. While Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada claim to be beaten and the suffering side, the law enforcement organs consider otherwise. On July 10, Sabail District Court has opted for 2 months detention decision for them.

According to Adnan's lawyer Isakhan Ashurov, no information regarding the investigation is given to the lawyers. He says that they should be informed about the investigation too.

"Of course, one side should let the other side know about its actions. This is an attitude."

According to Emin Milli's lawyer Elton Guliyev, after the arrest decision about the youth has been taken, no investigation with their presence took place. According to the lawyer, in the last 15 days his defendant has neither been questioned nor had face-to-face meetings with someone (i.e. meeting with assaulters) : "The investigation with his presence was only held up to court's decision. That is in two days, in the time period of being detained as a suspect till taken out to the court."

At the same time, Elton Guliyev is saying that investigation can take place without their presence too. Perhaps evidences and proofs are being collected, hence they cannot complain about the investigator. Also for now, the investigation period has not been changed.

Then, the question is, if all the investigation took two days only, what was the need for two months of detention? Elton Guliyev says that from the first day they noted that the arrest decision was wrong. They think it was a groundless decision and condemn it.

"They can complain to the prosecutor"

We couldn't learn Head Investigator of Sabayil District Police Station, Ziya Aliyev's opinion regarding those comments. However, head of media service of Prosecutor's Office Elkhan Sultanov answered our question:

"If the lawyers of accused Adnan Hajizada and Emin Abdullayev have any complaints about the investigator or his decisions, they may complain to the prosecutor in charge of conducting initial investigation, in accordance with the Penal Process Code."

According to lawyer Erkin Gadirli, the investigators are confused themselves and not sure of where they will be leading this case.

"The world is watching this case with attention"

Last days there have been numerous calls from international organizations to release the young activists immediately. The last such statement came from Christoph Strässe, OSCE's reporter on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. He asked for an immediate and non-negotiable release of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli.

On July 29, European Parliament's human rights subcommittee sent letters to Azerbaijani embassies in Belgium, Luxembourg and European Union. The committee head reminded Azerbaijan of the obligations undertaken in the framework of European Human Rights Court and noted the violation of youth's rights during detention and investigation.

Could these statements help the progress of investigation or help in the release of the youth? According to Hikmat Hajizada:

"Perhaps they could. They would not release the kids after each statement. Yet all of this shows that the world community is keeping its hand on the pulse of these events. This is good."

To see original article in azeri click here

Conflict between generations in Azerbaijani society

2009-07-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Interview with the co-founder of the civil society “Republican Alternative” (REAL) and coordinator of the Committee for Rights of Arrested Bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada.

- The arrest of bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada three weeks ago has drawn a wide response in the world. Can we hope for favorable outcome of the events and end to criminal prosecution of young people ?

- It is hard to speak about any results, we just can hope for the better outcome. We need to have full information and understand what is going on in the government, who has planned and who needed that and why the decisions were taken hastily. We know nothing and everything we are doing and speaking is based on the inventions, but this makes us less objective and fair.

Being rather intelligent, Adnan and Emin have come to the police station by themselves, hoping for legal protection. Within several hours they have been converted from the victims into the suspects, detained for 48 hours without any medical aid rendered to them. Two days later their case has been tried by closed doors and at 10.00 p.m. court made a decision to put them under arrest for two months. It is absolutely clear that the guys have been arrested just as Ganimat Zahid, Azadlig daily’s editor. One and the same scenario - it was an impudent and rude action.

- What does stand behind the bloggers’ arrest? Is this a revenge for their dissent or preventive measure to intimidate others?

- This is not revenge in a broad sense. We witness a very interesting process, which is not noticeable in the society, because it is occurring on the internet. In the modern world people do not need demonstrations and political congresses to express their political views. It is obvious that ideas cannot be stopped, banned and people seeking for alternative information are united into the networks. Considering that our television and print media do not provide us useful information and balanced analysis, people try to find information in the internet. Especially those, who know foreign languages, need only YouTube to watch all world news. During the past 5-6 years this process has risen to a qualitatively new level. Young people move from the virtual world to the real one. They attend lectures, seminars and other events to know each other better, they establish contacts and unite.

During a long period the process was not taken seriously. Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli expressed their thoughts openly both in the internet and the society. For instance, Emin Milli participated in the action to protest at the illegitimate referendum in front of the UN office. Critical video clips followed that. And then the actions have been staged in Paris and Strasburg to protest at their arrest. The youth in other countries understands that Azerbaijani people are taking measures to improve political situation.

The current authorities have no feeling of time, they fall behind of the modern tempo of life. They think that if people cannot openly express their own opinion, situation is under control. When the guys have been punished, there were no disturbances in the country, but there was a wide international response. At present information technologies enable affecting the processes anywhere without money and population’s support. In this case authorities have made a mistake with arrest of Emin and Adnan.

We have qualitatively new processes and qualitatively new youth at present. These young people were not educated abroad and their social position is different. They have no leader in the internet and they have equal chances. When Emin and Adnan were detained, policemen tried to disperse young people gathered near the Sabail region police station. They told policemen that they are friends, but one policeman objected: “I live in Baku 30 years, but I don’t have so many friends.” Friendship becomes the main value, which is used as a political resource and this is new for our society. Many people just can’t understand that young people could unite without any organizers.

- Will authorities continue their attack and introduce the legal norms to filter internet?

- The internet relationships cannot be identified and prohibited. Technically it is important to limit internet, but it will be the second North Korea or any other rogue country. It is too early to speak about political weight of the youth networks, but the process is inevitable. There are, certainly, smart people in the government, but those who make such decisions are narrow-minded people living in another dimension. They have invented the world for themselves, called it “stability” and think that they control the situation.

- What are the perspectives of struggle for democracy in Azerbaijan? Will authorities manage to “clean” the country’s political field of dissidents using repressions?

- Any dissent scares the totalitarian system, but the repressions only cause dissent. There is a gap between the generations in our society and this is not about the biological age. This is a gap at the level of thinking. Young people find information about the happening events in the foreign sources and they trust foreign media, because it is balanced and easy to read. The authorities think that the problems could be resolved, if they prohibit delivery of religious literature, arrest two or three activists and close NGOs.

The current youth prefers to ignore authorities and older generation. Real struggle for democracy, if the word struggle is appropriate here, is carried on by young people. There are several groups here - religious, left-wing, liberals and etc, but they respect each other’s opinion. Their goal is not to struggle against the current government.

The current government is independent of the population’s opinion as long as it has oil resources, but they will come to the end one day.

- Is there any potential in the Azerbaijani society to prevent the country from further sliding into the authoritarianism?

- I think that sliding will go on for a while. The system is programmed for repressions and victims, because it cannot assert itself in another way. Its only goal is to retain power. Previously the authorities had another goals - to get rid of opposition, media, trade unions, NGOs and etc. This is not the last arrest. This system cannot be reformed, the country needs drastic measures. I think that we have a good potential in the capacity of serious and thinking youth. They are not trying to come to power, they are just looking for themselves. They understand that it is impossible to find themselves in the society, which does not provide equal opportunities.

- What is Public Committee going to do to defend young people?

- I would like to say that international response is effort of friends of Emin and Adnan in the country and abroad. As a real participant of all events, I admire these young people. We have done and will do everything possible to release Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada.

To see original article click here

PACE rapporteur reacts to arrest of two activists in Azerbaijan

2009-07-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

28/07/2009

Christoph Strässer (Germany, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the follow-up to the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, is disturbed by the arrest in controversial circumstances of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, two activist members of civil society who studied in Germany. "These arrests will draw the international community's attention to the cases of journalists and NGO activists convicted on the basis of dubious allegations of vandalism and slander", said Mr Strässer. "I shall, when preparing my report, pay great attention to the arrest and conviction of opposition activists and representatives of civil society."

http://assembly.coe.int/default.asp

Critical note by European Parliaments’ Subcommittee on Human Rights

2009-07-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

The European Parliaments’ Subcommittee on Human Rights at the Committee on Foreign Affairs, has addressed a critical note to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU in the case of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade.

In its note the Committee expresses its deep concern about the second court ruling of 20th July 2009, upholding the first court decision imposing two months pre-trial detention of the two bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade upon their arrest on 8th July 2009.

Referring to Azerbaijan’s commitment to several international conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights, the Chairperson raises particular concerns about the detainees’ basic rights to a fair and public hearing, given that the defendants had late access to lawyers and the hearings were closed. Furthermore the letter points out the Committee’s concern about the detention’s extensive duration of two months and the lack of immediate access to proper medical treatment after the arrest.

The Committee calls this incident a negative sign in relation to Azerbaijan’s commitments laid down in the EU-Azerbaijan Action Plan, calling upon the Azerbaijani government to clarify its position on this issue.

Representatives of the Human Rights Commissioner meet with Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli

2009-07-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

27 Jul 2009 10:39

Baku. Elnur Mammadli –APA. Representatives of the Human Rights Commissioner of Azerbaijan met with Alumni Youth Network activist Emin Milli and co-founder of the Ol Youth Movement Adnan Hajizadeh at the investigative detention of the Justice Ministry Penitentiary Service in Baku. The young men didn’t complain about the conditions of the detention and any illegal action or violence against them, press service of the Human Rights Commissioner told APA.

They asked the representatives of the Human Right Commissioner to provide them with an opportunity to meet with their parents.

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=105438

Donkeys and Protests No Laughing Matter

2009-07-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

27 July 2009

By Matthew Collin

The verdict, when it came, was no surprise. Courts in Azerbaijan are rarely sympathetic to democracy campaigners, and the case of two detained Internet activists was no exception. Nevertheless, the mood among the two young activists’ friends who had gathered outside the appeals court in Baku last week was despondent after their request for release was rejected. A few supporters sang the national anthem defiantly, but others wept as they drifted away.

Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli were arrested for hooliganism and ordered held for two months of pretrial detention after allegedly starting a fight in a restaurant, although they insist that they were actually the victims of a politically motivated assault. The duo was at the forefront of a circle of middle-class youth activists who have been using blogs and social-networking tools like Facebook and Twitter to spread their message and circumvent government control over the Azeri media.

“They are both very popular. They have liberal, Western values, and they were doing something which is completely new for Azerbaijan,” one of their friends told me. Some people have suggested that it might not be a coincidence that they were arrested not long after Hajizada’s most recent satirical video, which lampooned the authorities through the words of a talking donkey, was uploaded onto YouTube. “This regime has no sense of humor,” another supporter said. “When they are mocked, they become very offended.”

The case follows an unexpected resurgence of youth activism in Azerbaijan. Some young people were outraged when the authorities refused to hold an official commemoration for students who were killed when a gunman ran amok at a Baku college in April. A crowd of youths took to the streets in fury, in a country where demonstrations are usually suppressed with cold efficiency.

Khadija Ismayilova of Radio Liberty’s Azeri service, which was forced off the airwaves this year, suggests that the arrests were intended to intimidate an emerging social movement. “First, opposition political parties were marginalized, then they targeted independent media and radio stations, then NGOs, and now youth groups and Internet activists,” she told me.

Poignantly, Milli’s last message on Twitter before he was detained quoted the words of a Soviet-era Azeri dissident: “Without sacrifices, there isn’t any freedom,” it read. “Therefore, I and people like me have to be arrested.”

Matthew Collin is a journalist based in Tbilisi.

To see original article in azeri click here

A letter has been sent to the president with more than 200 signatures

2009-07-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

A letter has been sent to the president with more than 200 signatures. The letter emphasizes that Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli were arrested without any ground and asks for their release. The information was given to Radio Liberty by the member of AN network Vafa Jafarova:

"In the letter, we reminded the president about the obligations he undertook to fulfill when he was swearing to the constitution. The president swore to protect the rights of all citizens, hence he should do that. Because he is everyone's president and should fulfill this mission."

According to Vafa Jafarova, they don't want a pardon for Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, but want to prove their innocence.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada were arrested on July 8 because of incident in restaurant "Lebanese" and are accused of hooliganism. The court took a decision of 2 months preliminary arrest for both of them.

Many international human rights organizations consider the accusations of hooliganism totally groundless.

To see original article in azeri click here

The complaint by the lawyers' of young activists was not satisfied

2009-07-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

On July 23, in Baku Sabail Court the case raised by lawyers of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli against the police was listened to. The process was held behind closed doors and judge Famil Nasibov was presiding over the case.

According to lawyers, the detained faced a poor treatment while in Sabail Police Station and also their rights for defense were abused.

The court did not accept the complaint. The lawyers said they will complain about the fact to higher courts.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada were arrested on July 8 because of incident in restaurant "Lebanese" and are accused of hooliganism. The court took a decision of 2 months preliminary arrest for both of them.

Many international human rights organizations consider the accusations of hooliganism totally groundless.

To see original article in azeri click here

EU Statement on the arrest of two Azerbaijani youth organisation members

2009-07-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

The EU has learnt with deep concern about the arrest and the remand into custody of two Azerbaijani youth organisation members, Mr. Emin Milli and Mr. Adnan Hajizade.

We recall various appeals in this respect by the International Community who were asking for fairness and transparency of the legal proceedings. In particular, we would like to emphasize that the issue has also been discussed during the talks held by the EU Ministerial Troika with the authorities of Azerbaijan on 20 July in Baku.

We remind Azerbaijan of its commitments on democracy and good governance, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms made in connection with its OSCE participation and its membership in the Council of Europe, as well as in its relations with the EU, including in the framework of the Eastern Partnership. We recall the EU’s concerns regarding the media situation in Azerbaijan as expressed in the PC on 9 July and call on Azerbaijan to make full use of suggestions and recommendations of the Representative on the Freedom of the Media.

In the case of Mr. Emin Milli and Mr. Adnan Hajizade, the EU encourages the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that the next appropriate legal steps are in full compliance with Azerbaijan’s international commitments, in particular the right to a fair trial within reasonable time and the right to a transparent and unbiased investigation of the allegations made against the two youth activists. We would be grateful to be informed in due course of the outcome of this issue. In this context the EU recalls its statements in the PC on 9 July on the significant shortcomings of the Azerbaijani judiciary.

In conclusion, the EU reiterates its support for further political and legal reforms in Azerbaijan aimed at convergence on European standards. It is recalled that the EU has welcomed several steps taken by the Azerbaijani authorities over the last few months, notably the amnesty in March 2009 and the progress made with respect to access to persons in custody and in court rooms as well as the adoption of a number of important National Strategies addressing human rights.

The candidate countries CROATIA* and FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA*, the countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate countries ALBANIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA and MONTENEGRO, as well as the European Free Trade Association countries and members of the

European Economic Area ICELAND and NORWAY align themselves with this statement.

*Croatia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

To see original document click here

US Mission to the OSCE: Statement on Arrest and Detention of Two NGO Leaders in Azerbaijan

2009-07-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

United States Mission to the OSCE

Statement on Arrest and Detention of Two NGO Leaders in Azerbaijan

As delivered by Chargé d’Affaires Kyle Scott to the Permanent Council, Vienna, July 23, 2009

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental OSCE freedom and integral to the democratic process in every democratic country. The United States is concerned about the recent arrest and detention of Azerbaijani NGO leaders Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade. We note reports that they were beaten and then detained pending trial, while their assailants explicitly were released. We are also concerned by credible reports that the police initially denied Messrs. Milli and Hajizade access to their lawyers, and that they may be in need of further medical care.

We have raised our concerns with senior officials of the Government of Azerbaijan, including law enforcement officials, and will continue to do so. We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to release Messrs. Milli and Hajizade pending trial. We call on the Government of Azerbaijan to ensure that Messrs. Milli and Hajizade are granted proper access to legal assistance and medical care. We also ask that the Government of Azerbaijan exercise due process.

We welcome recent positive steps taken by the Government of Azerbaijan this year, such as the release of several journalists from prison, and criticism by President Aliyev of the use of criminal courts for libel cases.

The United States remains committed to working together with the government and people of Azerbaijan to address the many challenges that remain to accelerate democratic reforms, including on freedom of expression and association, and the full range of OSCE commitments, which are integral to the democratic process in every State.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.

To see original document click here

Matter matters, existence exists. Yes, but...

2009-07-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

"Those who have concerned themselves exclusively with what seemed practicable in the existing state of opinion have constantly found that even this rapidly become politically impossible as the result of changes in a public opinion which they have done nothing to guide."

Friedrich von Hayek

Matter matters, existence exists. Yes, but...

Erkin Gadirli

Sometimes some people appear and start to challenge the reality or what is widely believed to be a reality in a given society. They may look inconsistent and misguided. What they do, may seem to have no practical effect. They do strange things and may look strange themselves. In fact, they are very ordinary people, just as so many others. They see the same reality that is seen to all others. They just do not accept it. Not because they do not fit in, but because they are fed-up. Their imagination goes far beyond the knowledge which the reality could provide them with. They are driven by their internal energy of curiosity and courage. Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade are such people. But what does this mean?

Some say that Emin and Adnan are youth activists. Yes, they are young and active. But they are more than just youth activists. They are youth activators. The have been able to drive others almost effortlessly. However, they are neither leaders, nor managers; neither politicians, nor campaigners; neither journalists, nor dissidents. It is hard to pigeonhole them and that is not a problem of their image. It is rather a problem of extremely limited social and political opportunities in Azerbaijan. There is not much room for self-identification, as many believe that things are ready-made and pre-determined. But Emin and Adnan do not believe that.

Others say that they are bloggers. Well, to an extent this is true. They were writing a lot, shooting videos, making speeches, etc. But even here they do not entirely belong to. Emin and Adnan have been in constant search. Not for places, but for opportunities. That search has never been pragmatic. They did not seek career. They were trying to find themselves, the truest search one has to be engaged in. But how one can find oneself in a society which denies opportunities? Emin and Adnan did not waste their time for conceptualising this problem. They intuitively came up with a solution – in order to get an opportunity for oneself, one has to create opportunity for others. This egocentric motto eventually boosted them into political discourse.

Emin and Adnan have managed to create networks, both locally and globally. Interestingly, their international relations appear to be more diverse and strong than domestic ones. That is so not so much because they got their education abroad and had worked in or with international organizations or companies, as because social relations in Azerbaijan are dominated by authoritarian patterns. Those patterns can hardly be changed from the top, as the government in Azerbaijan is getting more and more oppressive. So, no hope for good will of the rulers. What to do, then?

Surely, Emin and Adnan are not the first, or the brightest, or the bravest or the strongest in Azerbaijan to enter into the fight for liberalization of social relations. Ironically, they have never pretended that. But somehow, they became to be regarded this way by many young people who ever met them and had an opportunity to talk to them or read them. What makes them different? The idea they believe in and follow – the idea of networking.

Network, itself being a matter of principle for them, deconstructs certain deeply rooted perceptions. Emin and Adnan believe that it helps to empower personality by entrenching self-confidence, stimulating critical thinking, motivating initiatives, providing space for opposing views, etc. Network cannot lead and for that reason, they believe, it won't be able to mislead. Choices make the network and network enhances the choice-making. Network is not something to be joined. It is rather something to be enjoyed. Network cannot have goals, but it does have cumulative effects.

Network is a marketplace of ideas. It does not belong to anyone, and there are no founders or leaders, properly speaking. There is no deviation here, as there is no mainstream. So many different young people have been engaged in whatever they have chosen to do. In a society, every segment and structure of which discourage choosing, that means a lot.

Network reaches the wider audience of those, who are originally from rural regions, who don't speak any foreign language, who don't have enough understanding of what's going on in the world. They are limited within the narrow discourse that Azerbaijani language can provide. They had long felt depressed and oppressed not only by political situation, but also by family rules, gender and age discrimination, lack of adequate social conditions, etc. Network helps them to get individualised. Isolation and loneliness kills any motivation. It can only be cured by the culture of participation. But in order to feel participation, i.e. to be a participant, one needs to feel self-confidence and not to be afraid of making mistakes.

Goals are important, but goals cannot do much, if one does not keep in touch. Network lacks any goal-setting or dispute-solving mechanism. But it does provide for very wide communicating opportunities. Instead of immediately uniting around a leader or a goal, network stimulates critical re-assessment of previously held ideas and beliefs. Most importantly, it does so without coercion or indoctrination. Students simply have been getting used to challenging others and being challenged by others. Unfortunately, but families, schools, universities do not provide for such a format. Network does. It does it slowly, but surely.

Emin and Adnan not only believed in the idea of network, they were at the very foundation of the two most famous youth networks – “AN” and “OL”. Those networks may seem to be full of day-dreamers, utopians, or even losers (depends on who assesses and how). But it does have immediate touch with the wider public, as students spread the ideas in a geometric progression. It is certainly not an avalanche yet, but nor is it a snowball already. It is a slippery-slope towards weakening the authoritarian structures of our society.

Emin and Adnan are information brokers. Many young people pay attention to what Emin and Adnan has been writing or saying. Sometimes they were controversial, because reflected their search of themselves. Emin and Adnan were searching for opportunities to be benefited from by many others. Their search had a multiplying effect. When that effect extended the threshold of government’s ignorance, it became an irritating factor for the system.

Continuing irritation at some point may be perceived as a threat, provided that political freedoms are denied. Emin and Adnan have always been talking and writing about dialogue, culture of participation. How do you do that in an authoritarian system? Partly, by criticising the government. Emin has become particularly very outspoken. Yes, he, as well as Adnan, has always been politically neutral. Neither Emin, nor Adnan has ever taken sides in power politics. But they have never been ignorant. They have had a devotion to their country and a vision for its future. They publicly expressed disagreements on many things the government did or does. But there are many people in Azerbaijan who does the same. Why, again, Emin and Adnan are different?

The answer lies in information technology, sense of time, personal curiosity and wider connections. Emin and Adnan have been targeted by the government, because the government could not comprehend what they were doing. The fact that Emin and Adnan had been arrested clearly showed that the preference of many young people to be engaged in networks, rather than old-styled organizations, became a visible trend.

Emin and Adnan have become icons of networking. Their arrest, as the government may think, could possibly be aimed at destroying the niche for such a format. Not being able to identify the process, the government personalized it and criminalized the persons ahead of it. The fabricated accusation of hooliganism is typical response in such cases. No need for legal arguments here, as everything is evident.

P.S.

Network is invisible, though not hidden.
Network is inclusive, though not given.
Network is neutral, though is driven.
Network is free and cannot be forbidden.

A protest in Paris

2009-07-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

A group of Azerbaijanis living in Paris protested today in front of Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris against the pressures on the freedom of speech. The news were told to "Radio Liberty" by one of the organizers of the protest Agil Khalil.

According to Agil Khalil, about 20 participants gathered in front of the embassy, voicing slogans and protesting against the pressures on free speech in Azerbaijan:

"We presented the statement of the protest to the embassy. In the statement, we demand the release of arrested journalists, the fulfillment of obligations that Azerbaijan has undertaken to the European Council and also stopping measures against people with alternative political ideas."

Azərbaycanın Parisdəki baş konsulu Famil Əliyev aksiya iştirakçıları ilə görüşərək onların tələblərini dinləyib.

Famil Alyev, Azerbaijan's Council General in Paris has met with members of the protests and listened to their demands.

According to Agil Khalil, French and Swedish communication/mass media sources followed up on the protest. Azerbaijanis living in France are planning to hold a protest action against the arrest of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli on July 23rd in front of UNESCO's Head Office in Paris.

To see original article in azeri click here

Video:

To see the photos click here

On Emin, Adnan and students educated abroad

2009-07-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Kamil Piriyev

Yesterday Baku Appeals Court rejected Adnan and Emin's first appeal. The court process was held behind closed doors. Despite the fact that their lawyers complained of the court's composition, their complain was not listened to. Emin and Adnan were charged of hooliganism and the decision of 2 months detention was kept in force.

The fact that the court was closed is an indication of two things: first, because the traces of beatings and bruises remain, it is not advisable to show the youth to the public. And second, the court did not want to shame itself it even more by reiterating such a ridiculous accusation.

I just wanted to express my opinion about certain things with this writing. I don't have any intention to accuse anyone, but I simply want to draw your attention to two facts and ask you to make conclusions yourself:

There is a video surveillance at "Lebanese" restaurant. If I wouldn't see this, I wouldn't write about this. I think the investigation would consider these videos after such an accusation. I am sure these video images would clear many doubts.

Recently I read in one of the newspapers an opinion of one of the witnesses. According to him, because there are many people at "Lebanese" restaurant at first they ordered a table. A couple of days before the event took place, I went to "Lebanese" with a friend. But because there were no people inside, we left and went to the other place to have dinner. According to the same witness, when the event took place, there was noone there (except the ones who were with Adnan and Emin). The witness also denied charges against him that he called his friends there on purpose.

Emin and Adnan are bright representatives of about more than 10,000 of Azerbaijani youth who were educated abroad. Their social activities are known not simply to the youth, but the government as well. When one reads in the media about the national authorities' claim to having never heard about them, another lie emerges. Two years ago Azerbaijani students held forums in different capitals of Europe and many officials took part in these forums, ranging from low levels all the way up to ministers. Emin Milli was one of organizers of these forums. It is enough to look at AzTV's archives.

Even in the opposition today, there is a jealousy towards Emin and Adnan. If it would not have been so, there wouldn't have been an article in the major opposition newspaper about Emin and Adnan's plot about doing an "orange" revolution with US support. This is because, this youth did not share the views of traditional opposition. This would mean creation of new competition in the old political arena. As a matter of fact, the youth were engaged in social and not political activism. They were particularly interested in educating the society.

One cannot surely claim that the provocation against the youth is coming from the government's highest echelon. It is clear that the youth with Western education constitutes the major target. The purpose is to scare off the most active ones. If Adnan and Emin are arrested on the base of wrong accusation, it would be easier to silence the other ones to a certain extent. But if the government indeed takes this step, it will be the one to lose. It would be much better if the government would work with this youth instead of being afraid of them.

It is not a secret that today there are youth who got their education abroad and now are back to the country and working at important positions. At the same time, the majority of Azerbaijan's new bourgeoisie (the children of current officials and rich people) has gotten its education abroad and their attitude to the processes and situation in the country is different from their parents'. Apart from that, the government has accepted a program according to which 5000 young people will be sent abroad till 2015 to get education. Today there are abut 5000 young people who got their education in Europe or United States and didn't return to Azerbaijan due to the lack of perspectives. It would be better if the government would have used this potential of human resources and would not have lost it completely.

Be cautious!

Letter of Europa - Institute of Saarland University to the Azerbaijan Embassy in Berlin

2009-07-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

The Europa-Institut of Saarland University in Germany has sent a letter to the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Berlin. In the letter sent by the Director of the Institute, the Ambassador is asked to do his utmost to bring about the release of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade who were arrested in Baku on 8th July 2009.

The letter points out that during studies at the Institute, Azerbaijan is presented as a Member of the Council of Europe and the European Convention of Human Rights. However, the latest series of events surrounding the arrests of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, who is known at the Institute for his peaceful engagement for democracy and human rights, would leave the Institute's alumni network and current programme participants in doubt as to Azerbaijan's commitment to uphold the pertaining obligations.

The Institute, of which Emin Milli (Abdullayev) is a graduate, has been teaching European Integration for over 25 years to students from 30 different nations resulting in an elite and international alumni network of nearly 700 alumnis.

Statement by the Hellsinki Citizens' Assemly

2009-07-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

STATEMENT

By the

THE HELSINKI CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY

On 8 July, at approximately 8:00 p.m., “Alumni Network” Youth Organization Coordinator, ANTV Online TV Leader Emin Milli and one of “OL” Youth Organization’s coordinators, well-known video-blogger Adnan Hajizade, while sitting at a café together with their friends engrossed in political debate, two strangers broke into their conversation and started a fight. Mr. Hajizada and Mr. Milli went to file a complaint about the assault, but instead an investigator opened a criminal case against them detained Adnan and Emin as suspected persons for 48 hours and freed the attackers. All cafe workers and other people around them made testimony that these young people did not respond to the fist attacks of those persons and only protected themselves though were not very much successful since Adnan’s nose was broken as the result of the attack. On 10 July, Sabail District Court Judge Rauf Ahmadov issued a decision under article 221.2.1 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code to sentence Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade to two months pre-trial detention. Despite of all pressure by local and international human rights organizations on July 20, Baku Appeals Court rejected the appeal by Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli to the court’s earlier decision on two months of detention.

The authorities blame human rights defenders in politicizing this case of hooliganism. However, holding the court hearings closely contradicting the European Human Rights Convention and having two months of pre- trial detention for just hooliganism endorse the arrest’s political nature.

Shortly speaking about these young people Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada had returned to Baku after attending universities in Germany and the United States, and fell into a loose circle of other Western-oriented young people. Emin started an online television channel and Adnan, who worked in public relations for BP, organized a youth group, OL, and began dabbling in video satire.

The internet is an instrument for the free expression of political opinions from all sides and needs to be vigorously protected and kept as open as possible. The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly being committed to promote the values of human rights, democracy, and civil society condemns the unlawful detention and urges the government of Azerbaijan to:

Annul the pre-trial detention for investigation;
Show immediate proper medical aid to Adnan Hajizadeh;
Maintain fairness of the investigation process;
Stop prosecuting young activists.

Girlfriend says Hajizada’s injuries untreated as judge rejects detention appeal

2009-07-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

By Dan Petty and Stephanie Rice
Collegian Reporters

A judge in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku has rejected an appeal of the two-month pretrial detention for activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, dealing a serious setback to opposition hopes that they would be freed before going to trial on charges of hooliganism, Hajizada’s father confirmed.

In response, Hajizada’s lawyer filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Hikmet Hajizada, Adnan Hajizada’s father, said they filed to complain that police had treated Hajizada inhumanely during his arrest. The hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. on July 22.

Outside the court on Monday, more than 60 young activists, journalists, bloggers and representatives of international organizations were waiting for word of the decision, bloggers from Ol! Youth Movement reported. The date for the trial on charges of hooliganism was not immediately clear.

“Unfortunately they try sometimes to politicize such incidents and to make a show and to use it against the statehood of Azerbaijan,” said Ali Hasanov, chief of the public policy department of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with the Azerbaijan Press Agency.

Milli’s lawyer, Elton Guliyev, decried the decision by the presiding judge, Mirpasha Huseynov, as “absolutely illegal” and also vowed to continue fighting the ruling. The two face up to five years in prison if found guilty.

Their alleged attackers — Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov — also issued a statement to the APA, saying that boisterous swearing from Milli and Hajizada’s party at a restaurant in Baku led to a heated debate that eventually erupted into a fight.

“Although we did not want to start a fight, they attacked us,” the statement read. “We were trying to protect ourselves. Two of them were beating us ruthlessly. As a result, we suffered multiple injuries. We are still being treated in a hospital up to this day.”

Both voiced sharp criticism of newspapers and a news media they believe are staging a campaign against them, charging that police are being influenced by the media’s accusations of guilt against them, which pushes the police to work partially.

Police arrested Milli and Hajizada on July 8 after the fight that began, other witnesses say, when one of the men approached their table to complain about their criticism of the government. Milli and Hajizada said when they didn’t respond, the men butted them in the heads, prompting the fight and leading the activists to go to report it to authorities afterward. But police held them as suspects, then filed the hooliganism charges. The other men in the fight were not arrested.
As the decision ushered in fresh criticism from human rights groups and foreign governments, a portrait of Hajizada began emerging as one of a politically engaged idealist, earnest in his attempts to bring Azerbaijan closer to democracy.

In an e-mail sent early Tuesday morning, Hajizada’s girlfriend, Parvana Persiani, said she last saw him on July 10, handcuffed as he was transported from a temporary detention facility to the Sabail District Police Office in the presence of Azeri authorities. She was not among the group at the restaurant in Baku where the attack occurred.

“He just asked whether everything was OK, and I told him yes,” Persiani said of Hajizada. “His nose was broken from the very beginning, and he is still not being treated by doctors. His face was black and blue, but he was looking strong morally.”

She described Hajizada as the most honest person she had ever known and said he was someone who show his love for his native country by working to spur its development.

“There are a lot of people in Azerbaijan who dream about leaving the country as soon as possible to get an education abroad, just to get a new job with a better salary to buy a very nice apartment and the best car,” she said. “Adnan had all these chances, but he didn’t stay in the United States after he graduated from Richmond. He came back.”

In this spirit, Hajizada — a 2005 Richmond graduate with a political science degree — established the Ol! Youth Movement in 2006, a group dedicated to cultivating a politically engaged, independent and well-educated youth in Azerbaijan.

Hajizada, a member of the Mock Trial team while at Richmond, earned a second bachelor’s degree in 2007 from Khazar University in law. He then enlisted in the Azerbaijan army as part of the country’s mandatory service law, after which he continued his activism on social networking Web sites by producing short videos. Now, he also serves as internal communications director of oil giant BP in Azerbaijan, but dreams of becoming a film director one day, Persiani said.

“He always says, ‘I can’t understand the people who look at the world only from the windows of their cars,’” she wrote. “‘Can’t they understand that the world, our country, is different — that we should try to make changes here?’”

Widespread bribery allows the wealthy to avoid military conscription, an option Hajizada could have exercised, but did not, Persiani said. He served for one year.

His father formerly served as the Azerbaijan ambassador to Russia and is a popular political analyst, which has wielded great influence over Adnan Hajizada’s political views, Persiani said.
“His education abroad made him a real ‘agent of change,’” she said.

Among those awaiting Monday’s appeal decision were European Union representatives who protested the arrests and 27 EU member states that sent a statement expressing concern for human rights in Azerbaijan, the Reuters news agency reported.

Their arrest has drawn international attention and condemnation from human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, and prompted 17 professors last week to send letters of support to Congressional leaders and Aliyev, the Azeri president.

“I would rather regret the things that I did, than to regret the things that I did not do,” Hajizada wrote in a quote posted to his Facebook profile. “I would rather be an honest failure than a corrupt success.”

Human rights groups are accusing the Azerbaijani government of oppressing free speech.
Reporters Without Borders issued a statement following Monday’s ruling, charging there were no grounds for a decision they said boded ill for free expression in Azerbaijan.

“We reiterate our call for the release of Hajizadeh and Mili, who are being held for political reasons, not because they committed any crime,” the statement read. “They have been paying a high price for the dishonesty of the authorities ever since their arrest.”

Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso, a group based in Italy, claimed Azeri authorities ignored evidence, refused Milli and Hajizada medical treatment and told lies about Milli and Hajizada’s condition when they were arrested.

Three members of the European Commission, referred to as the European “Troika,” met with Aliyev on Monday and discussed the duo’s arrests, reported the Turan Information Agency, an online news source in Azerbaijan.

The Swiss Foreign Minister Karl Bildt told Turan reporters that he had voiced his concern over the arrests to Aliyev and the “condition of human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan,” along with ambassadors from the EU member states and the Norwegian government.

David Kramer, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, said in an interview with Turan that he was disturbed by the arrests and that Milli and Hajizada should be released and those who allegedly attacked them arrested. The interview was posted on Ol!’s blog.
“The international community has responded to this situation but it needs to be louder in voicing its concerns and objections,” he said. “We should be standing firm by the principle of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, including Internet freedom.”

Azerbaijani authorities argued they had not denied freedoms to anyone and that Aliyev was popular with Azeri citizens because of a recent economic boom from oil sales, Reuters reported.
Activists say the government began targeting dissenters when oil became an Azeri industry and argued Western countries had softened their criticism of the government to keep more of a hold than Russia on Azeri resources.

Aliyev’s family has been in power for decades, starting with his father Heydar Aliyev. His term was slated to end until a referendum eliminated the two-term presidential limit, offering Aliyev a chance for re-election.

This version of the story ADDS information about the appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, a statement from Reporters Without Borders, and UPDATES with minor edits throughout.

Dan Petty reported from Denver and Stephanie Rice from San Diego.

To see original article click here

Statement a group of CEU Alumna

2009-07-22T02:28:00.000-07:00

STATEMENT

of a Group of Alumna of Central European University

As it is known, on the 8th of July youth activists – Emin Abdullayev (Milli), one of the founders of “AN” grassroots movement and Adnan Hajizada, foreign relations coordinator of OL! Azerbaijan Youth Movement, were attacked by two people in “Lebanese” restaurant. Young people filed a complaint to the police were later suspected of hooliganism and sentenced for 2 months pre-trial detention, while two people, who attacked Adnan and Emin, were released, despite the fact that, at first, they were detained as suspects. Young people, who had injuries as a result of the incident, were not even given first aid.

We, a group of young people, who want the establishment of just society and legal state in Azerbaijan, state that, we regret this incident and protest such a conduct against young people, one-sided attitude of law-enforcement structures to the incident, lack of respect to basic human rights and liberties of these young people. We should regretfully note that, such incidents badly influence our country’s international image, along with demoralizing youth striving for comprehensive development of our country. Also taking into account that, aforementioned young people are known for their positive qualities in the society, in the collectives, they have studied and worked and have never been accused of any crime, we demand the change of detainment decision, just investigation process and punishment of real perpetrators.

Alumna joining the Statement:

Rashadat Akhundov
Parviz Abbasov
Aytan Gahramanova
Javid Gadirov
Sabit Abdullayev
Aida Badalova
Huseyn Ismaylov
Fuad Aliyev
Anar Mehdiyev
Azer Sagiyev
Aysel Soltanova

AlJazeera's reportage on arrest of youth leaders

2009-07-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

AlJazeera channel prepared a reportage on arrest of youth movements activists and blogger Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli.

Court confirms pre-trial detention for two bloggers.

2009-07-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

Published on 20 July 2009

Reporters Without Borders condemns today’s Baku appeal court decision confirming a two-month detention order for bloggers Adnan Hadji Zadeh and Emin Mili pending their trial on trumped-up charges of hooliganism. They have been held since 8 July.

“There are absolutely no grounds for this decision, which bodes ill for free expression in Azerbaijan,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We reiterate our call for the release of Zadeh and Mili, who are being held for political reasons, not because they committed any crime. They have been paying a high price for the dishonesty of the authorities ever since their arrest.”

Zadeh and Mili were not allowed to attend today’s hearing but were represented by their lawyers. One of them described the court’s decision as illegal and said they would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Zadeh’s father told Reporters Without Borders : “Adnan and Emin are being punished for their commitment as citizens and for the videos they posted online.”

Reporters Without Borders wrote to the justice minister on 17 July calling for the release of Zadeh and Mili, who are facing up to five years in prison on the hooliganism charges.

To see original article click here

“The victims” showed up

2009-07-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

It is a pleasing fact that they read the newspapers and even listen to the clever pieces of advice

Tuesday, 21.07.2009

R. Mirkadirov

The Court of Appeal left unchanged the first instance court’s decision on the two-month detention of the youth activists Adnan Hajizada and Emin Abdullayev (Milli).

Their lawyers Isakhan Ashuriv and Elton Guliyev stated they were going to appeal to the European Court.

In the meantime the civic society representatives condemned the decision of the Court of Appeal. Thus, according to Leyla Yunus, the head of the Institute of Peace and Democracy, such verdict demonstrates that official Baku fully ignores the commitments it has undertaken when entering the Council of Europe, and adherence to democracy and integration to Europe it declares. "Representatives of the international human rights organizations who I have informed being in Germany are shocked with this decision,” L. Yunus stated.

Arzu Abdullayeva, Head of the National Committee of Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly, said she considers the situation in the court as the “tortures” of the detainees. “During today’s (yesterday – editor) hearing Adnan hajizada has repeatedly addressed the judge on absence of any medical assistance provided so far. If to consider that his nose was broken more than 10 days ago, then what is happening now is a real torture," A. Abdullayeva said.

In the meantime, international organizations continue responding to the arrest of youth bloggers. Article 19 (Organization) on Freedom of Expression has called on the government of Azerbaijan to immediately withdraw politically-driven accusations against internet-bloggers E Milli and A Hajizada (“Turan” agency). Article 19 regards the arrest of the youth activists on the basis of farfetched accusations as yet another attempt to make independent and opposition press keep silent.

"It is unacceptable that these two men, who were subjected to an unprovoked attack, should now face criminal charges,” said Agnes Callamard, Article 19 Executive Director. “If the authorities are persecuting the victims, rather than the perpetrators, then this tells about the political motivations of the case,” she added.

"The Government of Azerbaijan has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and Article 19 calls on the authorities to respect its commitments under international law. We also request the authorities to immediately release Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, and to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for assaulting them,” the statement says.

Human Rights organization, Amnesty International, has also expressed their concerns regarding the persecution of the civil society and media activists in Azerbaijan. The organization believes that A Hajizada and E Milli should be immediately released because the accusations against them are groundless, and the investigations are unjust.

It is worth mentioning that this issue was raised during the EU Troika meeting with president Ilham Aliyev. According to Turan agency, Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Sweden, mentioned it to the journalists in Baku airport on Monday. "I passed my concerns on the arrest of young activists on to Ilham Aliyev. Earlier, EU and Norway ambassadors submitted a statement to the Azerbaijani authorities expressing their concerns on human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan,” Bildt said. He, however, did not say anything about Ilham Aliyev’s response to the problem.

David Kramer, former deputy of US state secretary, and currently an official of Marshall Fund, also condemned the arrest of A Hajizada and E Milli.

In his exclusive interview to Turan agency, Kramer said: «I am very concerned about the arrest of these young men beaten by unknown people and also about their detention based on false charge of hooliganism. They are subject to two-month detention while those who attacked them are free, despite of numerous protests of the international community and diplomats. US State Secretary Deputy who is visiting Baku has also expressed his concerns. The youth activists should be released, and the attackers should be arrested.”

What kind of support can be provided by West to the bloggers? Is US and EU reaction sufficiently tough? Kramer, responding to these questions, stated that the international community had expressed its opinion, but the concerns and objections should sound louder. “We should be firm when it comes to freedom of speech, press and Internet,” he stated.

"What is your opinion on the publication in Yeni Musavat newspaper which says about alleged preparation of “orange revolution” in Azerbaijan inspired by US and participation of Adnan and Emin in it?” Kramer’s response was that “these allegations are not serious and everyone understands that the matter is not about the revolution but about the authorities violating human rights.”

What would Kramer advise to US administration on the issue of restoring western radio channel broadcasting and deterioration of the situation with mass media in Azerbaijan? Kramer said that the pressure should be exerted on the Azerbaijan authorities, jus exactly “as I did when I was a member of Bush administration when visiting Baku.”

"Such policy should be continued in order to hold the Azerbaijan authorities from their wish to change the law on NGOs, and also free the imprisoned journalists. The foreign radio channels broadcasting must also be restored. I hope that my successor and other members of US administration will confirm that the human rights issues remain the most important when carrying out dialogues with the government of Azerbaijan. Such dialogues should end with progress and concrete results,” Kramer stated.

An finally, 17 professors of the Richmond University sent a letter to the president of Azerbaijan calling to release A Hajizada, the Richmond University graduate. In this letter, posted on the web on Friday, the professors remind that Adnan Hajizada graduated from the University in 2005. Among those who signed the letter is Vincent Wang, the head of the University Political Science Department. The letter mentions that Adnan’s former professors believe that Adnan can do a lot for the future of his country. "Professors remember Adnan as a capable and respected gentleman and it is hard to believe that he can act as a hooligan,” the letter states.

Ali Hasanov, chief of the department of public affairs of Azerbaijan presidential administration, also stated his opinion on the arrest of A Hajizada and E Milli. “Unfortunately, in Azerbaijan such cases get often politicised and turned into public shows, and all this is being used against Azerbaijan state” (APA). He reminded that the Public Prosecutor office and Ministry of Internal Affairs have already clarified the details on incident and the reasons of the arrest. According to Hasanov, it will be the court who will make further proceedings. “The fact that the events are exaggerated to such extent, their assessment and politicizing when the court decision is not yet announced can be viewed as a wish to exert pressure on the court’s decision. And particularly because of this, I do not wish to give any comments. The court is the next authority that should demonstrate its attitude to this case. We should wait for its decision and only then give any comments.”

Hasanov also stated that he is doubtful regarding the statements of international organizations on freedom of speech and press in Azerbaijan, says Trend agency referring to the website of Yeni Azerbaijan ruling party. “Azerbaijan always considers recommendations of all international organizations where we have memberships. Unfortunately, these statements are very subjective. Some of their judgments look very doubtful to us. However, they continue to issue the statements despite the fact that we inform the organizations about unfair nature of their declarations,” said Ali Hasanov.

According to A Hasanov, Azerbaijan needs freedom of speech and press. “This is the essence of the road to future selected by Azerbaijan. We take the reactions of the international organizations into account but follow our own way,” he stated.

In the meantime, those who had beaten the youth activists have already “showed themselves,” indirectly though, and who, according to the investigation authorities, are the victims. Practically all pro-government information agencies and web resources spread out the appeal of these people to press, alongside with the photo of one of them:

“Dear media!

We are obliged to address to you due to the event occurred on the 8th of July. That day we met at Sahil metro station and while walking reached the Fountain Square, and then entered Lebanese restaurant to dine. Next to us were eating and drinking 7-8 people. Soon we heard them swearing out loudly. Being concerned with this, we reprimanded them but they ignored us. We asked them not to use dirty words because we wanted to rest. Couple of guys told us “mind your own business” and added that we should not teach them how to behave. Then the arguments turned into a fight. We did not to fight but two of the guys attacked us. We were defending ourselves. Two of the guys were particularly violent when beating us. As a result, we received many injuries.

Up to date we are being healed in the hospital. We heard from our acquaintances that there is a campaign against us raised in many publications stating that we were the attackers. We read some of the publications and got confirmed that we have been slandered. We are viewed as perpetrators. We express our protests and feel the police, influenced by these allegations, is working against us.

Therefore we ask you: do not allow to make us guilty, write the truth, help us achieve justice.

Babek Huseynov
Vusal Mamedov
18 July 2009.”

Let me start with the tendency, which is unpleasant for me personally. Some journalists, and mass media as a whole, can have their opinions, likes and dislikes on different events. But if there happens a significant event, then all participants of such event should be given an opportunity to express themselves, and also the facts should be strictly followed. One’s own position can be expressed in form of a comment. Professional ethic requires such an approach.

However, to a big regret, majority of mass media, including Internet, did not provide the comments of those who support the youth activists – moreover, such mass media distorted the facts officially submitted by the investigation authorities. For example, some mass media can’t help repeating that A Hajizada and E Milli, being drunk, initiated the fight. But, dear friend-colleagues, haven’t you noticed that the joint statement of the Public Prosecutor and Ministry of Internal Affairs clearly says, referring to the expertise results, that B Huseynov, V Mamedov and E Abdulayev (Milli) were not having any alcohol that day. The matter is that E Milli does not drink at all.

Let’s go further and try to find some clarity in the statement of the ‘victims’ to mass media. Firstly, why to disgrace our glorious police? If the “police, influenced by these allegations” (various publications on different versions of the case in the restaurant - author), was working against you, then it was you, but not A Hajizada and E Milli, who would be sitting now in airless detention cell.

Secondly, the statement of the ‘victims’ suggests they both are now in the hospital. But according to the official statements of the authorities only one of them needed to be hospitalized.

Thirdly, who, when and where took such a professional photo of the ‘victim’ capturing all necessary angles? Judging from the photos, they were made straight after the incident in Lebanese restaurant. One can clearly see blood stains on the shirt. It’s highly unlikely that the ‘victim’ didn’t have the shirt washed in order to take part in the set up ‘shootings’ of the incident. But if it was done by an expert right after the incident, then why were the photos of E Milli and A Hajizada’s injuries not taken in a similar professional way?

Moreover, there were witnesses who had been waiting near the police station for those involved in the incident that evening. They state that they didn’t see any blood stains on the shirts of the ‘victims’ when the latter were leaving the police department.

And finally, I’ll try to explain why the ‘victims’ showed up on the 12th day after the incident. In Saturday edition of Zerkalo newspaper, issued on the 18th of July, i.e. the issue date of the statement of the ‘victims’, I wrote: “Law-abiding and respectable citizens should not hide from press, if they are not secret agents of course. According to the investigation authorities, these citizens have something to show – meaning the injuries allegedly received by ‘hooligans’ E Milli and A Hajizada. Because during the court hearing the results of the expertise can reveal that health of both V Mamedov and B Huseynov is seriously damaged, and “the ill-wishers” inside and outside the country can jeopardize fair and just character of this document.”

To be honest, it is a pleasing fact that the publications are being read and clever advice is being listened to. I wish it was always like that…

To see original article in russian click here

Interview with David J. Kramer

2009-07-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Former Deputy Secretary of State David Kramer in his interview with Turan news agency comments on recent situation in media freedom and US policy towards Azerbaijan in these issues.

Turan: - Mr Kramer, you have probably heard about the arrest of the two young youth activists in Azerbaijan. What is your opinion on such a situation?

- I am very disturbed by the reports about the two youth leaders, Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, who were beaten by unknown assailants but then arrested and detained by authorities and tried on spurious charges of hooliganism. They were convicted and sentenced to two months in jail over protests from many in the human rights and diplomatic communities; their assailants, meanwhile, were released. Coming around the same time as the visit to Baku by the Deputy Secretary of State makes this particularly disturbing. These activists should be released and those responsible for the attacks on them should be arrested.

Turan: - How do you see the western support in this situation to the young bloggers? Do you believe the US and EU administrations are quite tough in their reaction?

- The international community has responded to this situation but it needs to be louder in voicing its concerns and objections. We should be standing firm by the principle of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, including Internet freedom.

Turan: - Some media organizations in Azerbaijan wrote that these two guys are the instruments of the West to do another orange revolution, like the ones in Georgia and Ukraine. do you believe these kind of statements have a base?

- I do not believe those statements and would reiterate that the handling of these individuals raises serious concerns about the government’s respect for human rights.

Turan: - The Western world, including US administration has been deeply concerned on the media situation in Azerbaijan, particularly the closure of the foreign radio broadcasting services in Azerbaijan. at the same moment there are still dialogs on the government levels going on between Azerbaijani and Western officials (US also). so what would your message for the US government? - how do you think they should be addressing the Azeri government?-

As I did when I served in the U.S. Department of State in the Bush Administration and traveled twice last year to Baku, we should be pressing President Aliyev to veto the NGO law, free the remaining journalists still in detention, and return the suspended foreign broadcasts to the air. I hope my successor and others in the U.S. administration make sure that human rights issues receive prominent attention in discussions with the government. Dialogue is not an end in itself but should lead to real progress and concrete results.

Executive branch in Baku knows that no one is looking

2009-07-21T01:52:00.000-07:00

Ilham Aliyev and his cronnies are truly writing the book on amateur statehood. Two Azerbaijanis were recently set upon by two plainclothes men in a situation that can only make more clear the lengths that the Azerbaijani government is willing to go to maintain the double-face of open-armed reform minded classic republicanism and clench fisted misers. Emin Milli and Adnan Hadji-zadeh.

AP’s got the details:

"Hadzhizade is a video blogger and member of the “OL!” Movement, one of several opposition groups in the country, as well as an employee of British oil giant BP, which has major investments in Azerbaijan’s massive oil and gas industry. Milli is an opposition youth activist who also runs an Internet TV program. "

This is really upsetting the balance in Baku in places that were better left alone. The U.S. and German embassies are getting in on condemning this Azeri flop as well as BP and the OSCE, most certainly unfortunate relationships to jeopardize, but such is the thinking in a country that in the past while has been dropping the ball.

The media has of late been occupied with other entirely legitimate priorities, but if at this stage the international community does not turn its eye to the oppression currently being exacted upon the people of Azerbaijan, then this will make oppression all the more convenient because the executive branch in Baku knows that no one is looking.

Percy Miracles

Reuters: EU protests over arrest of bloggers in Azerbaijan

2009-07-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

By Afet Mehtiyeva

BAKU (Reuters) - European Union officials visiting Azerbaijan protested on Monday at the arrest of two opposition bloggers, a case seized on by rights groups concerned over shrinking freedoms in the oil-producing state.

"I have informed (President) Ilham Aliyev about our concern over the arrest of the youth activists," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, leading an EU delegation to the South Caucasus, told reporters on leaving Baku.

He said ambassadors of the EU's 27 member states had also submitted a statement to authorities "expressing their concern about the condition of human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan."

Adnan Hajizade, a video blogger and member of the "OL!" opposition movement, was arrested with activist Emin Milli at a cafe in Baku on July 8 on charges of hooliganism. Their defense team says they were beaten by two men in an unprovoked attack.

Rights groups say the charges are fabricated to punish the activists -- who post their work on the social networking website Facebook -- for their criticism of the government in the tightly-run former Soviet republic, a supplier of oil and gas to the West from reserves in the Caspian Sea.

In Geneva, where the United Nations Human Rights Committee on Monday began a two-day hearing on Azerbaijan, the respected London-based Article 19 group accused the Baku government of "systematic abuses of the right to freedom of expression."

Referring to an unsolved 2005 murder of a reporter and other incidents, it said "a climate of impunity for crimes against media workers and human rights defenders pervades Azerbaijan." Journalists who voiced critical views were often "harassed, arbitrarily arrested, attacked."

"This is not the first case in which the Azerbaijani authorities have used criminal charges to silence peaceful dissenting voices," Amnesty International said in a statement issued last Friday.

DISSENT

A Baku court on Monday rejected a defense appeal against a decision to hold the bloggers for two months pending trial.

"This decision is completely illegal and we will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg," said Milli's lawyer Elton Guliev. The men face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Opposition politicians and journalists say authorities under Aliyev are growing increasingly intolerant of dissent from civil society and the media. They accuse the West of muting its criticism out of fear of losing favor in the battle with Russia for influence over Azeri energy reserves.

The Aliyev family has dominated Azerbaijan for decades, first under long-serving leader Heydar Aliyev and since 2003 under his son Ilham. Rights groups say a personality cult built around Heydar has made dissent dangerous.

The government denies curbing freedoms, and points to an economic boom -- fueled by oil -- that it says makes Aliyev genuinely popular. Economic growth has slowed considerably this year and last due to a fall in oil prices.

In March this year, a landslide referendum scrapped the two-term presidential limit, allowing Aliyev to extend his rule beyond 2013 if re-elected. It followed a decision to ban foreign radio stations from broadcasting on local frequencies.

(Additional reporting and writing by Matt Robinson in Tbilisi and Robert Evans in Geneva; editing by Mark Trevelyan)

To see original article click here

US embassy was expecting a different decision

2009-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

"We were expecting Baku Appeals Court to release two youth activists." This statement was made to journalists standing in front of Baku Appeals Coourt by Dmitry Terakhovsky, public affairs official of US embassy.

According to Mediaforum website, Dmitry Terakhovsky noted that the embassy will closely follow the court case of Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli. "At the same time we will continue our talks with the government regarding the issue."

On July 20, Baku Appeals Court rejected the appeal to their earlier decision by Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli. Hajizada and Milli were arrested on July 8 after a fight at the "Lebanese" restaurant and on July 10, were detained for two months (while investigation will proceed) charged with hooliganism or 221.2.1 section of Criminal Code (hooliganism committed by a group of persons). The appeals court for both activists was closed.

Young writers, the representatives of youth organizations, intelligentsia and political parties expressed their protest to the decision by Appeals Court by singing Azerbaijani anthem. The police did not interfere.

To see original article in azeri click here

Court upholds prior decision on young activists

2009-07-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

by Ilgar Rasul

On 20 July Court of Appeal proceeded with examining Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli's appeal case.

Defendants' attorneys pleaded for substitution of judges prompted by the court decision to hold closed hearings.

Judge Mirpasha Huseynov chaired Adnan Hajizadeh's case proceedings. Emin Milli's case hearings were chaired by judge Jalal Ramazanov.

Court declined attorneys' plea.

Firstly, the judge declined Emin Milli's appeal, his attorney Elton Guliyev told media.

Later Adnan Hajizadeh's attorney Isakhan Ashurov reported the same outcome for his case.

Representatives of foreign embassies and international organisations accredited in Baku as well as members of local civil society and media community gathered in front of the court building during the case hearings.

Youth activists Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli were charged with hooliganism and received 2 months pre-trial detention. A number of international human rights watchdogs condemned the arrest and called charges implausible.

To see original article in azeri click here

Alleged victims broke silence

2009-07-20T01:45:00.000-07:00

by Aygun Muradkhanly

Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov - alleged victims in Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli's case addressed the media. They accused some media outlets of distorting the case and attempting to slander them : "They try to brand us as perpetrators. We protest this. We also feel as if influenced by these tales, police plots against us."

Media statement authors claim that loud nasty language used by Adnan, Emin and their companions spoiled their mood. Their attempt to call the group to order resulted in severe beating. They say they still undergo medical treatment at the hospital.

Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov called on the media not to distort facts and stick to the truth.

Youth activists Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli were charged with hooliganism and received 2 months pre-trial detention. A number of international human rights watchdogs condemned the arrest and called charges implausible.

To see original article in azeri click here

Youth activists and bloggers detained (Latest update)

2009-07-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

Arzu Geybullayeva

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada have been recently detained in Azerbaijan because of apparently groundless accusations. Despite inquiries to the local authorities by foreign embassies in Baku, they are still being held in jail

Recently, youth movements and youth activists have become an active force for change in Azerbaijan. Without staging protests and getting beaten by the police, as happens in undemocratic and authoritarian regimes, they have used cleverer techniques. This generation uses online tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to tell the world of the bitter realities existing in their countries. Similar work has been carried by Baku- based youth activists such as 30-year-old Emin Milli (Abdullayev), founder of AN Network, and 26-year-old Adnan Hajizada, founder of Ol youth movement. They are currently paying a very high price for their activism, as both were arrested last week and are held at the detention facility outside of the capital Baku.

On the evening of 8 July, while having dinner at a downtown restaurant ‘Lebanese’, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada were arrested on charges of hooliganism and detained as suspicious characters. Following a 48 hour detention, they were sentenced to two months of pre-trial detention by the Sabayil District Court in what international and local human rights observers reported as a closed-door hearing.

Police claim they responded to “assault-inflicted injuries” on Babak Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov (who are nowhere to be seen or found since the alleged attack). According to the same statement, the so-called victims were “trying to restore order in a restaurant” where Emin and Adnan started a fight. Stronger accusation came with the next statement issued on 11 July by the Ministry of Internal Affairs that accused Hajizada and Milli of inappropriate behaviour due to their alcoholic condition: “We inform you that at around 6 pm on 8 July 2009, Adnan Hajizada, Emin Abdullayev and five other people committed an aggressive act of hooliganism in a condition of alcoholic inebriation by violently attacking Vusal Mammadov.” However, a visit to a local hospital, where Vusal Mammadov was supposedly treated, showed no such records; in fact, no one under that name ever checked in.

The attack, how it really happened

Contrary to official statements, an eyewitness (whose statement police refused to take) reported that Adnan and Emin were having dinner with five other friends. They were talking about politics when one of the two well-built men sitting at the next table approached their table and hit Emin. While trying to help Emin, Adnan also received several hits. As a result, Adnan’s nose was broken and Emin had other physical injuries. Upon their arrival at the police station, both activists were denied any medical help or attorneys of their choice during the first interrogation, even though their own lawyer, Isakhan Asurov, was waiting outside of the police station.

The follow-up and the reaction

The reaction to the arrests was overwhelming but also not surprising given both Adnan and Emin are believed to reach over 10,000 Internet users in Azerbaijan and elsewhere. Emin Milli is also known for his critical speeches protesting the Azerbaijani government’s restrictions on basic freedoms and rights and most recently the March referendum. Milli was already detained during the 10 May protest against the celebration of Flower Day, only 10 days after the bloody attack at the State Oil Academy. However, he was released on the same day with no further charges.

“Freedom to Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada” were only some of the emotional slogans, posted on Facebook and Twitter. A number of support groups on Facebook gave detailed account of the events. Articles on the arrests soon began to appear on the international media including the New York Times, the Washington Post, France 24, Der Standard, Le Figaro, and Challenges.

There was also strong international criticism. The OSCE, foreign embassies and representatives from international institutions observed the whole process. Gunter Nooke, German ombudsman, who was visiting Baku during those days, and for whom Emin was supposed to translate during his visit, was unable to enter the court on the day the hearing was held. In his later press statement, he said that the arrests might negatively affect German-Azerbaijani relations.

Strong international involvement was deemed unnecessary by the government of Azerbaijan. The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a new statement on 14 July 2009, “We call on foreign embassies to stop misusing their power by interfering with internal issues of the receiving country.” An official from the US Embassy, Dmitri Tarachovski, responded, “I don’t see our statement as interfering… Yes, we are concerned about the arrest of these young people… We receive information, which contradicted the official information issued about the arrest.”

On Monday, 13 July, Adnan celebrated his 26th birthday at the facility where he is currently held. Currently, only their lawyers can visit the victims. A close friend, who took food on Monday to the prison, had to bribe police officers working at the facility to pass along food and letters of support written to Adnan and Emin. The police officer refused at first to take the letters and books and said, “20 manat is too little […] Why don’t you call the guy who is standing outside and ask him for more money.” Mutual friends in Baku say there is much frustration, anger and little hope that the boys will be released soon.

To see original article click here

The concern regarding the arrest of youth activists in Azerbaijan has been mentioned in the Congress

2009-07-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

The concern regarding the arrest of two Azerbaijani youth activists Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli has been expressed at the hearings of Helsinki Commission of American Congress.

The representative of American German Marshall Fund David Kramer noted that human rights have deteriorated in Azerbaijan in his July 16 speech on Iranian crisis and the situation in OSCE countries.

He noted that the youth activists were arrested in peculiar circumstances after being beaten by strangers and accused of hooliganism. Despite the protests from international community, the activists are still detained while the ones who attacked them were let free.

Kramer later mentioned: "We should influence Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani government, so that they let free youth activists and detained journalists and also restore the closed foreign radio broadcasting services."

According to Kramer, what happened to youth activists in Azerbaijan is not a random event.

He noted that human rights are deteriorating in Azerbaijan and the government is trying to impose its power on civil society.

To see original article in azeri click here

UR profs write letter on behalf of detained grad

2009-07-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

Seventeen University of Richmond professors and administrators have written a letter to the president of Azerbaijan seeking his intervention in the case of a UR graduate who was beaten and arrested for what his supporters say are political reasons.

Adnan Hajizada, a 2005 UR graduate, and another Azeri political activist were arrested July 8 and charged with hooliganism after they reported being attacked in a restaurant by two strangers.

Among those signing the letter was Vincent Wei-cheng Wang, chairman of the Department of Political Science, from which Hajizada got his degree.
Wang said he received word yesterday from a former visiting professor to UR from Turkey that a lower court has sentenced the pair to prison and that a hearing on their appeal has been postponed.

The letter to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev notes that Hajizada attended UR on "full scholarship -- a testament of our belief in his promise and his country's future. As Adnan's former teachers, we remember fondly Adnan's time here as a student."

Letters of appeal were also sent to Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th.
The letters say the professors remember Hajizada, an Azeri native, "as an outstandingly polite and respectful gentleman; it is hard to imagine he would engage in acts of 'hooliganism.'"

Karin Kapsidelis

To see original article click here

British Members of Parliament sign a petition against Azerbaijan

2009-07-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

A group of British Members of Parliament (MP) have signed a petition addressed to Azerbaijani government. The content of the petition was prepared by the young activists of Azerbaijani community in Britain.

In the petition, it is said that we are deeply worried about dramatically worsening situation regarding human rights in Azerbaijan. We vigorously condemn the attack on Azerbaijani youth taken place on 10th of July of this year and their imprisonment. We demand to release those youth, to cease pursuing activists of free media and opposition, as well as to restore BBC broadcasting in local frequency which was stopped by Aliyev administration at the beginning of this year.

It should be mentioned that in the document prepared during Ilham Aliyev’s visit to London, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Britain is asked to influence Azerbaijani government regarding these issues.

The government and media differently justify detention of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade. Although polis claims that they are arrested because of hooliganism, both foreign and local media write that the youth are arrested due to their political activity and especially because of the video clip which ridicules a state official.

British MP Paul Flynn who has signed the petition answered to the question of our editor Yohannes Dellin regarding extend to which this kind of political criticism is normal in Britain.

It is totally normal. Because media is free in our country. If people want, they may deride politically anybody. As to violation of human rights in Azerbaijan, the thing that worries us is that these two youth – Hajizade and Milli – were arrested in a way that Ganimat Zahid was previously arrested. He was accused of hooliganism as well and imprisoned to four years. I suppose that they got involved in fight by secret services. The aim was to belt them up.

You have signed this petition on the day of Ilham Aliyev’s arrival. Did he have any idea of this document?

I think if there wasn’t this petition, we would not be informed about this arrival as well. It was like a secret visit. Very little information was spread around on this visit. So, now after his departure we are continuing to sign the petition; and there are already 20 signatures. There is another issue regarding human rights in Azerbaijan. We know that protestors were tortured after the elections there and BBC radio is terminated in local frequency. Azerbaijan is transforming into a country where human right are being violated fatally.

You have appealed the Minister of Foreign Affair to raise this issue in the dialogue with Azerbaijani government. Is there any response to your initiative?

I have written to the minister about this issue; and I hope there will be a response. I will discuss it with him face to face as well. We have enough interests in the Caucasus; and we have to discuss issues on human rights along with business matters.

But there is the fact that both Azerbaijani government and Ilham Aliyev complain about double standards of Europe. They says that, for instance, in which country else there is permission for foreign broadcast.

It is not just a small incident. I see the reverse side of this issue. For example, if compare Azerbaijan with Ukraine, we will see there were protests in Ukraine as well; there was Orange revolution. And the protestors were not cruelly beaten there after the elections.

To see original article in azeri click here

OSCE has sent two letters to Mamedyarov regarding the imprisoned youth

2009-07-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Ulviyya Asadzade

Two officials of OSCE have sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (red. Elmar Mamedyarov) regarding the imprisoned youth – Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade – and expressed their concern. The Secretary General of the OSCE Marc Perrin de Brichambaut has told this to the journalists in Baku.

“Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the representative for media freedom have written a letter about the issue. I have referred to that letter while meeting with Azerbaijani officials and emphasized a fact that supremacy of law must be respected in all OCSE member countries and the obligations must be fulfilled.” But the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elkhan Polokhov says to the radio Freedom that the ministry has not received such a letter. The young activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade are sentenced to two month being condemned in hooliganism. The lawyers, family and friends of the youth claim that they are arrested because of spreading materials in the internet criticizing the government.

Answering the question of the radio Freedom’s reporter on weather they have discussed the arrest of young bloggers while meeting with Ilham Aliyev, the Secretary General of OCSE said: “I wouldn’t like to violate the confidentiality of my discussions with the President. But I think there is no need to remind once again to the Azerbaijani officials that the standards and obligations of OCSE must be fulfilled.”

Brichambaut says that they carry out a dialog on the arrest of young bloggers via the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the representative for media freedom.

“I hope Azerbaijan will respect the obligations taken in front of the OSCE. I hope my point is understood.”

To see original article in azeri click here

Amnesty International statement - Azerbaijan: Two youth activists arrested

2009-07-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

17 July 2009

Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the latest development in the continued clampdown against civil society and media activists in Azerbaijan. Emin Milli (real name Emin Abdullayev) and Adnan Hacizade were arrested on 8 July on a charge of ‘hooliganism’, and remanded in custody for two months on 10 July. Amnesty International believes that both may have been targeted for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Emin Milli and Adnan Hacizade are well-known youth activists who have used online networking tools, including Youtube, Facebook and Twitter, to disseminate information about the socio-political situation in Azerbaijan. Emin Milli is also a co-founder of a youth group named Alumni Network while Adnan Hacizade is a coordinator of the youth movement known as OL!

According to information available t Amnesty International, on 8 July 2009 Emin Milli and Adnan Hacizade were dining with civil society activists in a restaurant in the capital, Baku. While they were discussing online activism, two well-built men were said to have approached their group, demanded that they stop talking about politics, and assaulted Emin Milli and Adnan Hacizade. The assault reportedly resulted in injuries to the two youths, including the breaking of Adnan Hacizade’s nose and injury to Emin Milli’s leg.

Following the events, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade went to the police to lodge a complaint. However, rather than accepting their complaint about their assault, the police detained first Adnan Hacizade and then Emin Milli as the latter reportedly refused to leave the police station without his fellow activist. Both are said to have been charged with “hooliganism carried out by a group of people”, which carries up to five years’ imprisonment.

Amnesty International is concerned at reports that the police did not carry out a thorough and impartial investigation of the events; among other things they failed to interview potential witnesses. Despite this, the alleged assailants were reportedly discharged.

Of further concern are reports that the authorities have not respected the rights of the two detained activists guaranteed by the law of Azerbaijan and international human rights standards. In particular, according to information received by Amnesty International, Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Hacizade were denied access to their lawyers until the afternoon of 9 July. During this time, however, Adnan Hacizade was reportedly questioned by the authorities.

Azerbaijani human rights organizations have expressed concern that the charges brought have been fabricated to punish the two youths for their online activism critical of the government. This is not the first case in which the Azerbaijani authorities have used criminal charges to silence peaceful dissenting voices. For instance, prisoner of conscience Qanimat Zahid, the editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper Azadliq, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on charges of hooliganism and assault in March 2008. Several other journalists have also been imprisoned on questionable charges in the past few years. Amnesty International recently highlighted its concerns on the increasingly limited sphere for freedom of expression in Azerbaijan in the report Azerbaijan: Independent journalists under siege(AI Index: EUR/55/004/2009).

Amnesty International considers that if Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade are being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression, their arrest and detention would violate Azerbaijan’s obligations to respect their right to freedom of expression. In such a situation, Amnesty International would regard them as prisoners of conscience, who should be released immediately and unconditionally.

To see original article click here

Bloomberg - Mulish Behavior In Azerbaijan

2009-07-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

The ad is for the government which is accuse of wasting money to import donkeys (Bloomberg News)

ARI Movement expresses serious concern over the detention of two civil rights activists

2009-07-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

17 July 2009

The ARI Movement regrets the arrest of two civil rights activists in Azerbaijan last Wednesday and assesses this incident as a setback for the region’s democratic development. Adnan Hadjizadeh and Emin Milli were beaten by strangers in a bar in Baku on the night of July 8. The police released the perpetrators while detaining Hadjizadeh and Milli for “Hooliganism”. The two well-known and supported Azerbaijani youth activists are associated with the Alumni Network and OL! Youth Movement, grassroots movements that are among the project partners of the ARI Movement. Since last week Emin and Adnan have been held in custody in Baku, irregularities in the legal proceedings have been reported. We recognize the ongoing violations as basic violations of human rights and consider Adnan and Emin’s arrest as a strike against youth activism in Azerbaijan.

The international community has reacted strongly to this tragic event. The Embassies of the United States of America, Norway and Germany, as well as leading international media outlets (such as the New York Times and the Washington Post) and international civil society organizations have denounced the incident. The U.S. Embassy asked “that the Government of Azerbaijan exercise due process in this case and respect the rights of these individuals.” The Civil Society Forum in a letter to Azerbaijani President Aliyev requested “to detain and administer sanctions against attackers of the active young people Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade; to release the attacked; and to ensure fair judicial investigation”. Political leaders such as Cem Ozdemir in Germany have also written to President Aliyev in an attempt to break the impasse. Unfortunately, officials of the Republic of Turkey and the ruling party have not yet made any announcement on this issue. The ARI Movement feels that it is very unfortunate that the Turkish authorities have chosen to stay silent on this incident. The debate on Turkey's anchor to the western alliance is continuing in the world today and taking positions on issues like this would help promote the debate to support Western values and principles.

The ARI Movement is an organization that supports activism and promotes leadership among the youth in Turkey. Now in our 15th year, as an organization we have focused on the networking of young people throughout the surrounding region of Turkey and beyond. As a principle we encourage youth to become active in civil and political life and take positions on issues that they care about. We also strongly encourage young people to lead with their ideas, issues and projects. International cooperation among NGO's on issues like women's rights, rule of law the environment, youth participation and empowerment, are all values which we at ARI represent.

We are quite saddened by the recent developments in Azerbaijan and call on the Azerbaijani government to authorize the release of Adnan and Emin immediately, abide to the rule of law and respect the right to freedom of expression as defined by the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights to which Azerbaijan is a party. Azerbaijan is in a position to demonstrate its alliance with the West and with its increasing economic and political power in the region, incidents such as this would seem to harm its international reputation during a period where it should be getting stronger and more self-confident. We also call on the Turkish government to officially recognize the ongoing proceedings and join with Turkish civil society and our international partners to establish a common platform to bring freedom to these young people who were only trying to do what many young people do all over the world - get the attention of officials and elders to attain more democracy and development. A specific proposal would be to immediately have a senior Turkish delegation along with the invitation and participation of Cem Ozdemir to go to Baku and address the issue. This action would go a long way to influence the process in a positive manner.

Sincerely,

Ural AKÜZÜM
Chairman

Two Legs Good, Four Legs Bad

2009-07-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

The arrest of two Internet activists is worrying for those young Azerbaijanis who choose not to follow the official line

The use of social media – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube – in organizing and galvanizing protest against the presidential election in Iran has been a hot media topic of late, full of hyperbole as well as misinterpretation. But a short distance to the north, in neighboring Azerbaijan, the growing power of social and new media to mobilize opposition has also become readily apparent. And while Azerbaijani officials are not nearly as savvy in the online world as their Iranian counterparts, a recent incident shows they may finally be waking up to the new possibilities and clamping down.

On 8 July, two young Internet activists, Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, were sitting in a Baku restaurant talking politics with friends when, they say, two unknown men sitting at a table nearby attacked them. Hajizada received a broken nose and Milli a leg injury, but when they went to report the incident and file a complaint, they were instead accused of a criminal act and the two other men released. After an initial trip to the hospital, human rights organizations say, they were held for 48 hours without further medical care or access to their lawyer. A judge then ordered two months of pretrial detention for Hajizada and Milli, who have been charged with hooliganism, a crime punishable by a sentence of one to five years in prison.

While evidence has yet to surface that the initial incident was some sort of planned provocation, the subsequent behavior of the authorities has sparked widespread suspicion among youth activists, the opposition, and international organizations of a political subtext to the incident. Those who know the detainees say the accusation that they attacked anyone is absurd; “everyone knows these are non-violent people that couldn’t hurt a fly,” one youth activist told TOL. Neither Hajizada nor Milli is a prominent member of a political party, but they have both been thorns in the side of the authorities in their own ways, especially as pioneers in the use of social media to spread dissatisfaction with the state’s treatment of young people and other controversial policies.

Milli, 30, has been the more outspoken of the two. He has worked for several international organizations in Azerbaijan, including as an advisor to the Council of Europe on the issue of political prisoners, and, in 2005, helped found the Alumni youth network. In recent years, he has spoken out publicly, at home and abroad, against government restrictions on freedom of expression and the decision to hold a referendum on removing presidential term limits (since approved, in March). And as an active blogger with thousands of friends on Facebook, he has not been afraid to use online tools to share his views.

Though the son of a prominent opposition politician (the one-time ambassador to Russia), the 26-year-old Hajizada has preferred more subtle critiques, less confrontational. His day job has been in the oil company BP’s public relations department, but on the side he also played a key role in launching the well-known OL! youth movement. He has also generated a loyal following for his blog posts and video creations.

Over the past few days, many have been pointing to one of Hajizada’s latest videos as the trigger for the recent arrests. The mock press conference features Hajizada dressed in a donkey suit, casually answering questions from a group of serious-faced journalists. The clever parody pokes fun at the government’s reported purchase of expensive donkeys from abroad. He talks about the higher standards of living for donkeys in Azerbaijan, why he demanded such a high price (he speaks three languages and plays the violin), and finds time to mention a restrictive new NGO law pending in parliament.

More likely, however, the authorities had been closely following online activists since the events of this May. Many young people were outraged at the time over the government’s actions in the wake of a mass shooting at a Baku university. Not only did officials refuse to release much information about the killings (sparking rumors of a cover-up), but they also rejected calls to declare a day of mourning for the murdered students or at least tone down a lavish, annual celebration of Heydar Aliev’s birthday (the former president and father of the current president). In response, thousands of young people organized online through social networks, creating protest groups and writing petitions.

The online dissent has yet to translate into mass demonstrations in the “real” world, but the two men’s arrests would seem to indicate that the authorities are worried. Compared with pesky NGOs (those that manage to satisfy the extremely stringent rules on registration), officials have fewer legal weapons against bloggers and loose online networks, and unlike with the traditional opposition, the state can’t use the massive powers in the hands of the executive branch to largely squeeze these voices out of the political process. News of young bloggers being thrown into prison, possibly over a satirical video, also travels worldwide a lot better than the jailing of grizzled political veterans. And for a government that has made spreading Internet connectivity and computer literacy a priority, the choice to limit access and start widespread banning of sites probably doesn’t come into consideration.

As so often happens in the post-Soviet space, in all likelihood the autocrats in Azerbaijan will look to Russia for a list of “good” practices and lessons learned in fighting Internet enemies of the state. As detailed by TOL and other international media over the past few years, the Kremlin has made a science of crowding out Internet criticism.

Popular methods including leaning on Internet service providers to remove “offensive” material, creating friendly blogger brigades – some voluntary and some paid – and employing vaguely worded extremist laws. In early June, news emerged of a new “blogger school” set up by a Kremlin-connected think tank, the Fund for Effective Politics. The group’s mission? “To teach young people how to defend Russia’s interests in cyberspace,” according to The Christian Science Monitor, which reported the story.

One of the final frames of Hajizada’s video – after the “donkey” says he has to leave for a meeting of the nation’s donkeys and the press conference ends with a standing ovation – showed a question that has turned out to being particularly prescient for its author and his friend, Emin Milli: “There will be someone to protect donkeys’ civil rights, but what about human civil rights?”

To see original article click here

The Appeal Court for youth is postponed

2009-07-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

The Lawyers demanded Adnan Hajizada's participation in the process

Today the appeal process regarding the change in arrest decision of two youth activists Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli in Baku Appeals Court has been postponed. The judges Mirpasha Hasanov and Jalal Ramazanov were supposed to preside in the process.

According to the information provided by lawyer Isakhan Ashurov to qaynar.info, the closed process started without Adnan's participation. Even though Emin Milli was participating in the process, Adnan Hajizada was not brought to the court. The lawyer objected to the fact and raised the issue of Adnan's participation.

The judge agreed with the complaint.

The next Appeal courts was scheduled for July 20. The court will regard Emin Milli's appeal at 2:30 PM and Adnan Hajizada's appeal at 3 PM.

To see original article in azeri click here

Appeal to the President Ilham Aliyev from the friends of Adnan and Emin

2009-07-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

Mr. President,

In 2003 and 2008, while kneeling in front of the state national flag,You took an oath to protect Constitutional rights of every Azerbaijani citizen and to ensure, by all possible means development of our country. Today, there is a need to protect the rights of two Azerbaijani citizens and these are such citizens the future development of the country rests on.

In 2005, You signed a decree, letting 5000 Azerbaijani youth receive education abroad. This decree, found much support among youth who saw it as a campaign to transfer oil revenues to education and named it “Future is what you do now”. The person leading this campaign was Emin Abdullayev, widely known as Emin Milli. Currently, Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Hajizade - known for his enlightment work among youth - are in prison. They were arrested on false charges of hooliganism.

Why do we think that this charge is false?

Putting aside legal aspects of these arrests, we would like to inform You of our emotional standpoint. Both Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada are those individuals whom everyone, inlcuding You, would like to see in the future of Azerbaijan. While in Azerbaijan, and during their studies at Western universities, both Emin and Adnan, were known as individuals who would become key players in the development of their country.

Today, universities that Emin and Adnan once attended, organizations they worked at, friends gained during different public initiatives, are watching their arrest with many questions on their minds. We have also thought of similar questions.

Who would believe that these two people, who never had a fight or committed an act of hooliganism, would have the capacity and strength to beat up two well - built men?

We do not believe in this! On July 8th, while Emin, Adnan and their five friends, were discussing political and social situation in the country at Lebanese restaurant, they were subject to an attack by two men whose sole purpose was clearly not to dine at the restaurant. Following this attack, Emin was left with injuries on his face and leg, while Adnan had injuries on his forehead and nose. Here, a question comes to mind, why, the group that was larger in number, didn’t fight the two men who attacked them? Emin, Adnan and other five youths, instead of resisting their attackers, believed the law would protect them and applied to the police.

Alas! Police without further thinking, reverted the accident against them. The actual victims were detained as suspicious people while the real perpetrartors were set free. It is hard to understand such measures taken by the law enforcement bodies. According to the police, the perpetrators have received heavy injuries.

However, on that very same evening, knowing that our friends have been injured and waiting outside of the police station for them to receive medical treatment, we saw for ourselves, that the real attackers - Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov (the Ministry of Internal Affairs, mentioned it several times that Babek and Vusal were internally displaced people from Agdam and Fuzuli) were absolutely fine. The journalists did detailed search of the hosptial records at which, the attackers were supposed to be treated.

And despite a number of attempts of the four eye witnesses who were waiting in front of that very same police station to testify, no one ever took their testimony.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, on one hand, says that this was a simple act of hooligansim and yet, it gives the victims the heaviest of sentences, holds court hearing behind closed doors and doesn’t even let the parents visit their children.

We believe, that the unprofessional behavior of the police and their ill - will disappoints You as well. We also believe that the message given by the police to the friends - mostly youth - of Adnan and Emin is rather dangerous for the State.

What should an Azerbaijani youth think, when it sees the brightest, the smartest and the most tolerant youth representatives targeted by the police and some other abusers?

Mr. President, today, Azerbaijani youth believes that You would put an end to this lawlesness. We also believe that, you would understand the reality behind these arrests- the credibility of the law- enforcement bodies. Because, the solution of the problem goes through their confession.

Among members of Emin Milli’s AN network and Adnan Hajizada’s “OL!” Youth Movement, there are those who voted for you and who didn’t. Among us, there are those who strongly support Your policies and those who don’t. But still You, are the president of all this youth. Hear us!

Friends of Emin and Adnan

Youth activists arrest is already causing problems

2009-07-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

The after- effects are spreading to the international arena

R Gabiboglu

The UN plenary session has discussed the report on human rights violation in Azerbaijan, and in particular, the arrest of two bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Abdullayev (Milli).

Azerbaijani Diaspora told Turan agency that the report was submitted by the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders. The document states on the serious threat to the freedom of speech and violation of the reporters’ rights and freedoms. In particular, a serious concern is expressed regarding the arrest of the bloggers A Hajizada and E Milli last week.

This document will be also discussed at the 96th session of UN Commission on Human Rights. Besides the human rights violation in Azerbaijan, the report also mentions the attempts of the authorities to exert pressure on western diplomats who express their concerns. The authors of the report ask UN to take these facts into consideration and warn Azerbaijan about inadmissibility of such “disgraceful” actions as the arrest of the bloggers.

At its session on the 20th of July UN Commission will discuss the problems of political and civil human rights in Azerbaijan, Chad, Tanzania and Ecuador.

Also, 13 members of the UK House of Commons signed an appeal to the Azerbaijan government expressing “deep concern on rapidly deteriorating state of human rights issue in the country.”

Murad Gasanli, an activist of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in London, told Turan agency that the appeal was initiated by the members of Azerbaijan democracy support informal group. The appeal was made after the meeting of the members of the House of Commons with the representatives of Azerbaijani youth living in the UK.

On the 14th of July the document was officially submitted to the House of Commons, and on the 15th of July, the petition was signed by 13 parliamentarians. According to the procedure, the petition will be sent to the UK Foreign Office to be further submitted to official Baku. The petition condemns the attack on youth activists and calls for the Azerbaijan authorities to stop prosecution of people because of the political reasons, immediately liberate the journalists and arrested bloggers, resume the broadcasting of western radio channels.

It has also become known that official London asked the UK Embassy to closely follow the situation.

Meantime, Jeykhun Osmanli, the leader of “Ireli” public union, states that “interference of other people who are unaware of the process will complicate the case.” Speaking to Azeri Press Agency, Osmanli expressed his attitude to various comments on the arrest of A Hajizada and E Milli. Osmanli stated that some people try to use this case in order to gain political dividends and increase their social influence. “Some idle opposition parties, using this situation, try to go ahead of the process, increase their influence among the youth, and promote themselves manipulating with the names of young people who are now detained.”

In addition, some foreign media organizations have allegedly found an opportunity to carry out anti-Azerbaijan campaigns. Clear evidence is the article in "New York Times" newspaper, published on the 14th of July and based on the comments of Armenian journalist Olesya Vartanyan who works in Georgia.

In any case such development of events will only harm Adnan and Emin. Naturally, we don’t want either Emin or Adnan, or any other young Azerbaijani be arrested.

The investigation is going on now. We believe in its justice and hope that a fair decision will be taken. That’s why I think that there are chances for Adnan and Emin to be released from prison. In any case, this should be solved within, but not outside of, Azerbaijan.” Osmanli also mentioned that he does not understand the position of the diplomatic corps. “I am not clear about the direct interference of the embassies of foreign countries. What and whom do they want to tell? If they want to tell about the internal situation to the Azerbaijani themselves, then I think it is absolutely unnecessary because we are well aware and follow the developments closely. And if any foreign country uses the language of pressure when speaking to Azerbaijan, then this is lack of respect to any person who considers themselves an Azerbaijani. Let me bring you an example. Many foreign embassies refuse to issue a visa to Azerbaijani citizens with no solid grounds and refuse to comment on this. For example, a number of Azerbaijani were invited to voluntarily participate in the Olympics which are to be started in Finland in three days. But the Embassy of Norway which was obliged to issue visas refused to do so, despite the numerous requests from Finland. The same is true about other embassies in Azerbaijan. The question is being arisen: if these embassies are interested in the rights of the Azerbaijanis, then why are they so disrespectful to our people? I’d like to note one more fact: in some embassies the announcements and forms are written in other languages, but not Azerbaijani. Why don’t they respect our language and our laws if they are concerned about Azerbaijan? There are many such examples. All I want to say is that each organization should function as per their mandates.” Osmanli also noted that making the “politicised” damages Azerbaijan and Adnan and Emin in particular. “We should stay vigilant on this issue.”

To see original article in russian click here

Appeal: We have to raise international awareness

2009-07-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Adnan would always start appealing to people with “my dears” phrase. I am also appealing to you by using “my dears” phrase.

My dears,

Some of you are students, some of you professors, some of you socially active people, some government officials and some of you are Azerbaijanis living or studying abroad. We have to raise public and international awareness on Adnan’s and Emin’s arrest in order to help to achieve their release from prison. There is a need to write articles condemning Adnan’s and Emin’s arrest; make videos; come up with creative intiatives; inform the international organizations, think-tanks, newspapers, TV channels about this issue; we need to write different kind of appeals on behalf of international citizens and send them to local blogs, websites, to email addresses of well-known organizations and embassies.

Proposed variants:

1. Every person (living in Azerbaijan or abroad, no matter of age and professional or academic sector belonging) should write appeal letters condemning Adnan’s and Emin’s arrest and demanding their immediate release from prison and send them to mail and email addresses of embassies, local and international organizations. The appeal letters can be short or long, written in many different creative ways, (with pictures, colored pencils or crayons, written by kids and etc), in English or Azerbaijani, anonymous or any nick name mentioned in the bottom of the letter. You can send the appeal letters to email address of OL! Azerbaijan Youth Movement (ol.azerbaijan@gmail.com) and we will replace it on our blog.

2. You can make support videos for Adnan and Emin no matter where you live. Support videos have to be short, every person within short period of time (10 seconds) can express their support for Adnan and Emin with short messages, and videos have to be in English. You can use phones, cameras and other devices depending on situation. Videos can be shared with others via youtube or facebook. You can also send them to our email address ol.azerbaijan@gmail.com.

There are different ways of showing our support. I ask everyone of you to be active, creative and show an effective result.

Ruslan Asadov

Hikmat Hajizada about his son

2009-07-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Adnan Hajizada. His friends characterize his social activity the following way - the co-founder of OL! Youth Movement and the author of several campaigns by active youth as well as the satirical videos aired on Internet.

Both local and international media see the latter as the main motive which explains Adnan's arrest - Adnan Hajizada and his friend Emin Milli were arrested for the famous "Interview with the Donkey" satirical video clip. Law and order enforcement bodies reject this idea (you can watch the clip at the end of the text)..We will talk about it a little later.

"Adnan is not involved in affairs of Musavat party and is not interested in what is going inside the party."

Hikmat Hajizada, father of arrested activist Adnan Hajizada and the member of Musavat Council spoke to Radio Liberty:

- Adnan thinks that the party represents the older generation, he has his own circle and friends and according to him, youth should define their own behaviour and their own politics.

- Did he go to Musavat's rallies?

- Yes, whenever he wanted to. As a citizen. There is no such a thing in our family as me taking him. But Adnan has been active since his childhood. Of course, he didn't have any social activity when he was going to school. He chose his way after graduating from university.

- You have been in Musavat party for over 20 years, but you have never been arrested. Do you think Adnan's arrest has got something to do with you?

- Of course, it has. I guess some people are irritated by me and my family. I have said to Adnan many times: "Son, if you want to be socially active, let it be, but please, be cautious!"

- Is Adnan a politician?

- No, Adnan is socially active. Is an "Interview with the Donkey" politics? No! He wanted to see democracy thriving in Azerbaijan.

Those walking in groups of three

This year on May 28, we could see youth walking around in the city in groups of three in white T-shirts. One of them had "A", the other "D" and the third "R" on their T-shirts. Adnan Hajizada was the author of the "ADR unites us!" campaign (ADR stands for Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (1918-1920), an independent but short-lived first republic in the Muslim world interrupted by the rise of Bolsheviks). This day about 16 people were arrested by the police and detained for several hours.

According to his friends, Adnan started his social activities after 2003 presidential elections. But he did this more via his participation in forums and various comments on Internet.

According to "OL!" Movement's Executive Board member Parvana Persiani, Adnan's return from the United States in 2005 coincides with 2005 parliament elections.

Adnan participates in Musavat meetings as a regular citizen. At around the same time the idea about creation of OL! Youth Movement is discussed. In 2006, OL! is created.

Once more about the Donkey

OL! Youth Movement has become famous lately due to its blog and especially, video-clips.

Up to now, youth which is buying the phone costing 400 manats (at around 450 US $) but cannot afford 2 manats (3$) to load it with minutes (criticizing the general widespread tendency to show off among Azerbaijani youth) or youth saying "if you want to hit on a girl, do it somewhere else, not in our neighborhood" (criticizing the fake and sexist notions of "honour" among Azerbaijani youth) have been subjects to "Because I am Azerbaijani" video clips.

"The interview with the Donkey" is a first video clip targeting certain decisions by political establishment and gaining fame even before the arrest of the activists. OL's video clips are posted in the auditoriums with thousands of members (mostly yahoogroups), Facebook social networking site and Youtube.

Turkish newspaper Hurriyyet wrote in its July 16 issue on Adnan's arrest:

"The youth which made a video clip to protest the import of donkeys to Azerbaijan with the money from the state budget were arrested."

"The New York Times" published in United States writes the following: "The donkey costume results in arrest."

According to OL Youth Movement's member Parvana Persiani's comment to the Radio Liberty, the sole purpose of "Interview with the Donkey" video clip was to protest the fact that expensive donkeys from Turkey and Germany were imported with more than $100,000 from the state budget as well as express their opinion and attitude about the law on NGOs.

"Mr. Donkey" or "Mr.President?"

According to the local media, one of causes for Adnan's arrest is that while addressing donkey the expression "Esen Heinz" (Mr. Donkey in German) was pronounced as "Mr.President" in Azerbaijani. OL! Youth Movement categorically denies this.

Citizen Media?

According to media expert Zeynal Mammadli, the activity of OL blog can be defined as "new media" - citizen journalism: "There are two branches in citizen media, one is when the professional media uses citizens' help in preparing media materials and the second is when citizens are socially active and express their opinion about the processes going on in the society." Adnan Hajizada and OL blog can be defined as the latter.

OL's financial resources

OL' member Turgut Gambar speaks to Radio Liberty:

- What is your source of finances?

- Members' fees. We have about 20-30 active members.

- You hold "Debates" twice in a month in a "Diplomat" hotel as well as various meetings. How are these events financed?

- The members hold all of their events for their own money. We collect money among ourselves.

- Is there an interest to your lectures?

- We are trying to create debates on various issues and give voice to all sides. We have sometimes about 100 people attending our debates. There are many students among them. We are inviting various experts from different fields as lecturers.

- Have you received any grants up to now?

- We have received a grant for one project in 2007-2008 and it has been sponsored by NED (National Endowment for Democracy) . This was a project concerning human rights.

Youth Manifesto

he OL! Youth Movement says about itself in its manifesto on the blog:
"OL! Azerbaijani Youth Movement is a non-political, social movement. The main purpose of OL Azerbaijani Youth Movement is the formation of free, independent and responsible youth, the fulfillment of youth's educational, cultural and other non-material needs, as well as helping them in their self-realization and professional excellence. The active participation of youth in the social processes is a critical condition for the formation of civil society."

To see original article click here

The lawyers of the arrested victims appeal against the Sebail Police

2009-07-16T18:20:00.001-07:00

Isakhan Ashurov and Elton Guliyev - the lawyers of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have prepared a letter of complaint, saying that the young activists had been treated violently at the police station.

Being interviewed by the ‘media forum’, Isakhan Ashurov stated that, the letter about the abuse and the violation of the legal rights has been already prepared and it will be passed to the Sebail region court tomorrow. I.Ashurov also noted that it’s illegal to manacle the suspects at the police station: “As per the European penitential rules, manacling is against law in all cases. Only handcuffing is allowed but that must also be proved as a necessary action and should be consistent with the proportions of the crime. But the victims, although they were in a bad state after being attacked and beaten, have been manacled at the Sebail polis station.”

While bearing testimony at the police station, the victims have all rights to appoint the lawyer they prefer and refuse to be defended by someone appointed against their wish, Ashurov mentioned.

The exact day of when the letter of appeal against the arrest of A. Hajizade and E. Milli will be reviewed, is not definite yet. As per Isakhan Ashurov, the appeal has been made 2 days before: ‘’I hope they will review the letter either tomorrow or next Monday’’ said the lawyer.

The young activists were arrested on July 8, being accused in hooliganism (executed by some group of people), as per the points no. 221.2.1 of Criminal Code. On July 10, they were sentenced to 2 months arrest by Sebail region Court.

To see original article in azeri click here

"Anything could happen in Azerbaijan"

2009-07-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Babek Bekir

A group of youth activist organizations in Azerbaijan is gathering signatures for a petition to release Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. Member of the Protection of Youth movement, Ramin Hajili, says that the petition will be sent to President Ilham Aliyev: “We are planning several events that will start next week. These events will include public demonstrations. Unfortunately, we can not disclose any information in this regard now; otherwise, law enforcement will not allow us to how the demonstrations…”

VISITS FROM PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Adnan’s father, Hikmet Hajizade, appealed to the investigators to let him visit his son. However, he has not receive any permission to do so yet. Lawyer Elton Guliyev, while visiting the newspaper “Yeni Musavat” on July 17, delivered the rebuttal made by the arrested youth activists.

The article published by “Yeni Musavat” on July 15 states that according to an undisclosed source there was some information in the government camp that the West was planning another orange revolution and Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli were used in this context. According to Elton Guiliyev, he, on behalf of his defendants, told the leadership of the newspaper that this information is not true: “We need to convey the thoughts of people whose names were used in this article. The young people stated that the information published by the newspaper was not true. It is possible that the information provided by the undisclosed source was biased. These young activists have never been supporters of revolution. They are supporters of evolution.” Elton Guliyev hopes that the newspaper publishes the rebuttal letter of the two young men in its next issue.

The July 17th issue of the “Yeni Musavat” newspaper in its services section states that the newspaper does not have any rebuttals. However, it adds that the newspaper is ready to publish any denial or rebuttal letters that the young men may have. The issue is not only in publishing the rebuttal. Some observers are interested in the following question:

COULD MORE CHARGES BE BROUGHT AGAINST THESE YOUNG ACTIVISTS?

The commentator from “Zerkalo” newspaper, Rauf Mirgadirov, says that when journalist Eynulla Fatullayev was in jail charges were fabricated against him stating that he was calling for terrorist attacks. This shows that anything can be expected from the law-enforcement agencies in Azerbaijan. However, even if this kind of thing happens, he does not think that it could bring success to the government: “The inability to prove any of these charges can narrow the government’s ability to maneuver. This could also lead to granting the status of the prisoners of conscience to these young activists, which would not be in the interests of the government. Nevertheless, anything could happen in Azerbaijan.”

Rauf Mirgadirov thinks that the detention of the young activists under the pretext of hooliganism shows that the government did not want to raise political issues. Conversely, it would not be hard to press political charges against the young activists.

To see original article in azeri click here

Reporters Without Borders wrote to the Minister of Justice

2009-07-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Monsieur Fikret Mamedov, Justice Ministry
Inshaatchilar ave. 1, Baku City, Azerbaijan

Paris, 16th July 2009

Dear Minister,

Reporters Without Borders, an organisation that defends press freedom worldwide, would like to draw your attention to the case of two bloggers, Adnan Hadji Zadeh and Emin Milli, who were arrested in Baku on 8 July and were placed in two months’ pretrial detention on hooliganism charges under article le 222.1 of the criminal code when they appeared before Sabail court Judge Rauf Ahmadov two days later.

We believe that the charges brought against them are baseless. Furthermore, the 10 July hearing was brought forward for no good reason, and the court took no account of what their lawyers had to say in their defence. These are serious violations of their basic rights. We urge you to contact the prosecutor with a view to getting these charges dropped immediately.

Shortly before their arrest, Mr. Zadeh and Mr. Milli were assaulted by two men, Babek Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov. The police arrested the two assailants but then released them and arrested the two bloggers instead.

Mr. Zadeh is a video blogger and member of the “Ol” opposition movement, while Mr. Milli is one of the founders of a youth group called “The Alumni Network”. Mr. Zadeh’s nose was broken in the attack, while Mr. Milli sustained injuries to a leg and other parts of the body. They have not received the medical treatment they need.

We would like to know the real reasons for the arrest of Mr. Zadeh and Mr. Milli, who are facing a possible five-year jail sentence. An application for their release was filed on 13 July. We urge you to examine the case as we believe the dismissal of the charges would send a strong signal of a desire to improve respect for free expression and human rights.

Under article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to freedom is subject to only a few legal exceptions and people may be detained only in certain precise circumstances, for example, where they are suspected of having committed crimes or when a court has sentenced them to imprisonment. Such circumstances do not exist in this case.

The Convention also provides for the right of rapid recourse to a court to determine the legality of an arrest or detention, and for the right to be tried within a reasonable period or to be freed pending trial. The 10 July hearing did not satisfy these rights. Mr. Zadeh and Mr. Milli had access to their lawyers but the court paid no heed to their lawyers and did hear the testimony of their relatives, who witnessed the assault.

According to their lawyers, the judge’s decision to detain them was illegal because there is no evidence that Mr. Zadeh and Mr. Milli committed any offence.

We trust you will give this matter your careful consideration.

Respectfully

Jean-François Julliard
Secretary-General, Reporters Without Borders

To see original article click here

Hajizada’s life of activism began at Richmond, father says

2009-07-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Rice and Dan Petty
Collegian Reporters

Adnan Hajizada, recently arrested for what supporters blamed on his open criticism of the Azerbaijani government, learned how to be a democratic activist while a University of Richmond student, his father told The Collegian.

Adnan Hajizada, 26, was involved in political groups, including Young Democrats, before he graduated from Richmond in 2005 as a political science major.

His father, Hikmet Hajizada, said he had not been able to see his son since the arrest. He said his son’s involvement in different political groups led to his life of activism in Azerbaijan, a fact that eventually led to his arrest.

Adnan Hajizada was a “man of ideas” who expressed himself through being a public activist, his father said.

He contended the arrest was false from the beginning, saying that the government or a pro-government group probably sent the men who attacked his son.

“The idea is to punish public activists … the young generation of democrats,” Hikmet Hajizada said.

His son’s lawyer, Isakhan Ashurov, filed a motion with the Azerbaijan Court of Appeals on July 13, which is expected to be heard in two or three days. If the court decides to keep the men in jail, his lawyer would file an appeal with European courts, a process that could consume more than two years before the European Courts take any action.

Adnan Hajizada’s lawyer has seen Adnan and his fellow activist Emin Milli, telling Hikmet Hajizada that the men received medical attention in prison, but that the quality of the care was unknown.

As news of the arrests continued to spread, responses from friends and former classmates poured in, remarking a man whom they all said was inspired to enact democratic change with politics.

“While most of us sit around and complain how corrupt the government and media are, especially in post-Soviet countries, he is one of the few that actually came out and said it,” said Dina Zhurba, an administrative assistant with the Office of the Chaplaincy and former undergraduate student from Ukraine. “The work of people like Adnan inspires and motivates young people to ‘be the change.’”

Court documents filed by Adnan Hajizada’s lawyer and obtained by The Collegian say the activist was dining with friends and discussing politics on July 8 when two men — Vusal Saleh Mammadov and Babek Islam Huseynov — entered the restaurant and sat at a nearby table. People at Hajizada’s table were criticizing the Azeri government, to which Huseynov responded by questioning what the group was talking about and swearing at them, the documents say. No one in the group apparently answered his responses.

That prompted Mammadov to approach Emin Milli, 30, to ask why he had not answered, then immediately “butted him at his head and knocked him down,” according to the documents. Hajizada approached Mammadov, who quickly butted his head as well, leading Hajizada to lose his balance and fall down, after which Mammadov started kicking him, his lawyer alleges.

After the fight, Milli and Hajizada attempted to file a complaint with local authorities, who called an ambulance to care for their wounds. But their lawyer said they only received minimal medical treatment, with the “help of cotton soaked in water.” They were directed to another police station, and upon arrival, were investigated for purported criminal behavior — questioned first as witnesses, then as suspects. Their lawyer said Mammadov and Huseynov were considered victims, despite their lack of body injuries.

But Hikmet Hajizada said he thought the public pressure put on by Azeris; foreign governments including the United States, Germany and Britain; and the press would convince government officials to release the men.

His father said: “Maybe something will change in the government’s mind.”

To see original article click here

Gunter Nooke: There is Tyranny In Azerbaijan

2009-07-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

BAKU. July 16, 2009: The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid of Germany Gunter Nooke called the arrest of two young bloggers, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh a political provocation. “It is an attempt of forcing out activists of human rights defender organizations from the political landscape of the country,” Nooke said in his interview to Deutsche Welle.

Nooke considers that the coincidence of the arrest of the activists with his visit was just an accident. However he did not rule out that “by this Azerbaijan’s authorities tried to check the reaction of the West to such events”. He believes that the energy interests must not cause the EU to turn a blind eye on the situation with human rights in Azerbaijan. “It is necessary to talk openly with the authorities of countries with dictatorship. I do not think that it will cause damage to our economic relations. We are mutually dependent: Azerbaijan wants to get money from us, and we want energy resources from Azerbaijan,” Nooke said.

Asked if it was right to sign transactions like Nabucco with such non-democratic countries as Azerbaijan, he said: “Private companies of the EU are ready to invest money in the project, realizing the existence of dictatorship and authoritarian regime in the country. Nobody can prohibit business figures to do it. The problem is that in large projects like Nabucco European companies want to get state guarantees from possible risks. It will not be easy to do it, because Azerbaijan is not a lawful country and tyranny exists there,” Nooke said.

He believes that Azerbaijan “develops more towards dictatorship, than towards democracy”. “The authorities use their power to serve that purpose. They suppress the opposition and prevent their access to mass media. Election campaigns in Azerbaijan are not fair. The court power is independent only on paper. Judges get orders how to act from the top. The recent arrest of two human right defenders confirms it,” the ombudsman said (Turan).

To see original article click here

CBSNEWS: Azerbaijan Arrests Two Opposition Bloggers

2009-07-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Detention Prompts International Criticism; Men Await Trial for Hooliganism after Café Fight

(AP) Two opposition bloggers are being held by authorities in Azerbaijan in a case protested by Western nations and international journalism advocates.

A court last week ordered two months of pretrial detention for Adnan Hadzhizade and Emin Milli, who were charged with hooliganism after what authorities called a fight with several men in a Baku cafe.

Police let the other men - who Hadzhizade and Milli said were the attackers - go free.

President Ilham Aliev has faced persistent criticism over the heavy-handed treatment of independent media and opposition parties in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

Hadzhizade is a video blogger and member of the "OL!" movement, one of several opposition groups in the country, as well as an employee of British oil giant BP, which has major investments in Azerbaijan's massive oil and gas industry. Milli is an opposition youth activist who also runs an Internet TV program.

The U.S. Embassy voiced concern about their detention, as did Germany, saying the two men were denied access to lawyers and medical care and that the pretrial detention court order was excessive. The case also prompted criticism from international journalism advocates.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry and Prosecutor General's office denied those accusations and accused the embassies and foreign-funded rights groups of meddling in the country's internal affairs.

"We call on the diplomatic missions of certain countries in Azerbaijan to stop interference in the investigation process and in the internal affairs of (Azerbaijan), which goes beyond the framework of their missions," it said.

To see original link click here

British Parliamentarians Expressed Concerns Over Situation With Human Rights In Azerbaijan

2009-07-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

LONDON. July 15, 2009: Thirteen members of the House of Commons signed an appeal to Azeri government expressing deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Azerbaijan.

The activist of Azeri Diaspora in London Murad Hasanli told Turan, the appeal was adopted after the meeting of the members of the House of Commons with Azerbaijani youths living in Great Britain.

On July 14, the document was submitted officially to the House of Commons, and on July 15 the petition was signed by 13 British parliamentarians. In accordance with the procedure, the appeal will be sent to the Foreign Ministry of Great Britain and then will be passed to official Baku.

The petition condemns the imprisonment of youth activists, Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli in Azerbaijan on 10 July 2009 and calls on the government to immediately release them from prison and stop the persecution of independent media and opposition activists. The MPs demand restoration of the broadcasting of the BBC Radio on FM frequencies, which was shut down by the Aliyev government earlier this year. The British members of the parliament also expressed hope that the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will robustly defend the human rights during Azeri president Ilham Aliyev's current visit to the UK.

Murad Hasanli said during the visit of Ilham Aliyev to London a number of British and international media (BBC, Al Jazeera, Guardian, etc.) appealed to him requesting an interview, but all the requests were rejected. Only “trusted” journalists were admitted to the meeting in the Chatham House Institute, Hasanli said (Turan).

To see original article click here

"A manufactured charge of hooliganism"

2009-07-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklós Haraszti, takes the authorities to task in this STANDARD interview.

The arrest and indictment of two young civil rights activist Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli last week is a familiar pattern, he says in an interview with Markus Bernath: "Critical journalists are accused of criminal acts, which have no connection with their profession and which seem to be manufactured . Haraszti demanded the release of the two journalists.

STANDARD: How do you think about the incident with the two young civil rights activists in Baku and their conviction?

Haraszti: Mr Milli and Mr Hajizadeh are two very young journalists. They belong to Azerbaijan blogger scene. What happened to them has have been confirmed by several witnesses: They were attacked, they reported the attack, but they will now be punished instead of the attacker. They are arrested and are now in custody because of hooliganism.

The problem here is that this is not only unacceptable in itself, but that it is a recurring pattern which seems to be a practice of law enforcement in Azerbaijan. It is eerily similar to what happened to one of the most famous journalists in the country, Ganimat Zakhidow. He is still in prison and is serving a four-year prison sentence. Zakhidow was also accused of hooliganism, he had reported, after he himself had been attacked. And there is another similar case in Azerbaijan: Makhal Ismailoglu, a columnist for the opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat, was sentenced in the first instance to a two-year prison sentence on probation. He was found guilty of violence towards the cleaning lady of his neighbors, a senior official of the Minister of Interior.

We see here a model in which critical journalists are convicted for crimes which have no connection with their profession and which seem to be fabricated. So I am here and have intervened on Tuesday addressed a letter to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarow.

STANDARD: You have in all cases that you mentioned, filed a protest, but no progress seems to have been achieved

Haraszti: After we intervened several times in cases of criminal slander against journalists, President Ilham Aliyev has publicly acknowledged that defamation is not the European method to punish critical journalists. Azerbaijan is subject to the European Court of Human Rights, not unlike Austria. But now the authorities take other indictments, such as hooliganism, possession of drugs, etc.

One consequence of this type of prosecution is that Azerbaijan still, even after the amnesty in April this year, has the highest rate of imprisoned journalists in the OSCE. There are currently four journalists in prison, mostly due to fabricated accusations.

STANDARD: You know, perhaps the series of videos that Adnan Hajizadeh shot, featuring a donkey, a possible satirical reference to Presidant Ilham Aliyev ...

Haraszti: I will not discuss the contents. I do not care whether there is an donkey or not. It is about critically-minded journalists who are punished for the manufactured charges of hooliganism. I can accept the accusation of defamation only if that is in the subject of the indictment, but it is not.

STANDARD: But one could perhaps argue that Mr. Hajizadeh went beyond the limits of free speech with his videos ?

Haraszti: Within or outside the limits - that is not relevant. The Bloggers are in prison for a physical attack, which was inflicted on them .

STANDARD: What do you expect now from the authorities in Baku?

Haraszti: I expect from them that they act against the law enforcement agencies and make it clear that manufactured accusations are just as bad as indictments against critical or satirical journalists .

STANDARD: What does that mean in the specific case of two young journalists?

Haraszti: We require of course - as always in these cases - a positive end: That the charges be dropped and the real attacker go behind bars, not the victims.

STANDARD: Journalists, working with Internet media have also been under close scrutiny in other countries come. Do you expect that this will happen more frequently now?

Haraszti: Yes, that's a bad trend. The spread of the Internet has in many former Soviet republics reached a level where the governments are becoming aware of these. It has triggered a wave of new regulations that can be regarded as excessive. The ability to put text, images and videos on the Internet and send via mobile phones, makes people who are accustomed to controlling the media nervous. We will continue to defend the principle that the Internet should remain free. (Markus Bernath / derStandard.at, 15.7.2009)

To see original article in german click here

"We talked to Azerbaijani authorities regarding the arrest of young activists"

2009-07-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

EU special representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby talked to Radio Liberty about the arrest of young activists and presidents' meeting. Below is his interview :

- Young activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh have been arrested on hooliganism charges recently. They are currently awaiting trial. The arrest is explained by their political views. Azerbaijan is a part of the EU Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership programs. What is your view of the arrest?

- The event took place last week. We are concerned about this and closely monitor the situation. We've talked to the authorities about this. For now I would like to emphasize that human rights issues are part of bilateral agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan. That also constitutes a commitment within the framework of the Council of Europe and the OSCE agreements. The important thing is that we do react. But I would prefer not to disclose what we do and what plans we have.

- Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia are due to discuss solutions for the Karabakh conflict on 17 July in Moscow. In your opinion, does this meeting have a potential to yield serious results?

- I wouldn't dare to make predictions. Past experience shows that it's hard to do. But I can say that I hope these talks will be an important step towards conflict resolution. EU is committed to support peaceful resolution process. We have quite closely approached the processes in the Caucasus and built tight relationships with countries in the region including Azerbaijan and Armenia.

To see original article on azeri click here

Arrest of bloggers and human rights situation in Azerbaijan at UN plenary discussion

2009-07-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Human rights violations and particular arrest of young activists Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli in Azerbaijan were brought up at the UN plenary.

"Turan" said the report was introduced by the South Caucasus Human Rights Protection Network. The report highlights serious threats for the freedom of expression and violations of journalists' rights and liberties. It also expresses serious concern with the arrest of bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli. The report will be discussed at the 96th session of the UN Human Rights Commission.

Along with violations of Azerbaijani citizens' rights the report also discusses government's attempts to exert pressure on Western diplomats who voice concerns over such facts. The authors of the report call on the UN to monitor these cases and urge Azerbaijani authorities to prevent occurence of such disgraceful acts such as arrest of bloggers.

On July 20 the UN Human Rights Commission will hear reports about political and civil rights situation in Azerbaijan as well as in Chad, Tanzania and Ecuador.

To see original article on azeri click here

Who is Emin Milli?

2009-07-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Emin Milli announces that he will break the information blockade and spread the ideas of change in November 2008 at the FASE (Forum of Azerbaijani Students in Europe) meeting in London.

"Manifesto of Change" in London

Emin Milli was one of the founders of FASE in London. Two years afterwards he was saying at FASE forum in London:

"I want your and my children to know why is it important to respect the legacy of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic or listen to the Radio Liberty. I also want them to know why is it important to have a system where one president cannot be elected more than twice and have monopoly and corruption removed."

Emin Milli announces at the same forum that in order to spread these ideas among the public he is leaving FASE.

The auditorium of at least 5500 people and the modern educator

Only in Facebook social netweorking website Emin Milli has more than 3,000 "friends" - these people everyday receive the information that he was spreading.

Emin Milli was mostly posting information on democracy and human rights.

One of the most famous student yahoogroups - "Astudents" group was also formed by AN Network, which was co-founded by Emin. "Astudents" has more than 2500 members.

Emin Milli was sending information to "Astudents" yahoogroup several times a day.

"Emin is a philosopher of a change in the society"

Is Emin Milli a politician? His friends answer to this question categorically: No! He doesn't have ambitions for the government and power.

One of the co-founders of AN network Elnara Jivazada says: "Emin is a philosopher of a change in the society."

His friends also note that Emin is pro-change which comes with education and non-violence.

From the words of his spouse

Emin Milli's spouse Leyla Kerimli is obtaining her PhD degree in Columbia University in New York. According to her, Emin Milli doesn't work anywhere officially right now, he is a freelance translator and also lectures at various meetings.

Leyla Kerimli spoke to Radio Liberty:

- Emin is a man of ideas. There are people who think of about career and money, but Emin is not like that. What is important for Emin is having youth which is able to think independently in Azerbaijan and be able to work for Azerbaijan's bright future.

- According to "Yeni Musavat" newspaper Emin Milli was trying to bring the change of government, an "orange revolution" sponsored by US.

- This is a nonsense. I don't know where did they obtain this information from. Emin is not anyone's protege, he was offered to stay abroad many times, but he refused. And why should it a person who is organizing a revolution make an open protest in front of United Nations? If "Yeni Musavat" is having a claim on professionalism, then they should print their material based on actual sources and concrete materials, not absurd speculations.

"Yeni Musavat" newspaper printed on July 14 notes that Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada were the implementers of "orange revolution" plan masterminded in US.

Emin Milli's US visits

According to Emin Milli's spouse Leyla Kerimli, Emin Milli first went to US in 2001.

He took part in the "European decision taking process" student conference in New York University. This happened during the period when Emin was studying at Saarbrukend. According to Leyla, once Emin was a translator during National Customs Committee and Head Prosecutor's Office trip to the US.

Since August 2008 Emin Milli has visited US several times to see his spouse.

CV

Emin Milli (Abdullayev) was born in Baku in 1979. He graduated from Baku State University in 1999, with a Bachelor's degree in International Law and International Relations and obtained his Master's degree from the European Saarbruecken Law School in Germany.

Emin worked as coordinator in International Republican Institute (IRI) office in Baku in 1999-2000 and as director of Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Azerbaijan in 2002-2004.

In 2002-2004 he also served as an advisor to the European Council on political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

In 2005, Emin Milli worked as an assistant to the political commentator in OSCE Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election observation mission.

AN Network

The biographical information above was given to Radio Liberty by one of Emin Milli's friends, Elnure Jivezadeh. According to Jivezadeh, Emin Milli creates an Alumni Network in 2005 with other alumni studying abroad and starts advising youth on studying abroad. AN Network is not an NGO, it is not implementing any project, doesn't have an office or any structure, doesn't have a chairman and has never received any grant. Its main purpose is information exchange.

He is holding a signature campaign in Baku universities

In 2005 Emin Abdullayev takes a pseudonym of Milli and according to his friends, starts a more serious social activity. His friends say that this pseudonym has got nothing to do with "nationalism." (milli means "national" in Azerbaijani)

In 2005, Emin Milli starts a signature campaign in Baku universities. The idea is sending every year 5,000 students abroad to study with the oil money. Milli manages to collect thousands of signatures, but in the same year the president signs a decree to send students abroad for getting education. However, not 5,000 students a year, but 5,000 students in a certain period.

As we mentioned above, in 2006 Emin forms FASE and in 2008 he leaves it. After that, according to his own words, he is trying to break through information blockade on Internet. Yet Emin is not simply content with virtual space. He also goes out to the streets of Baku.

Everything started with a bunch of flowers

Media started writing about Emin Milli since last year. On May 28, 2008 Emin Milli and his friends put flowers to the fountain in the center of the city. The fountain had a special significance as it was supposed to be a place where the founder of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic's Mammad Emin Resulzadeh's bust would be built. However, fountain was built instead and Emin and his friends wanted to honor Resulzadeh's memory on ADR's Independence Day. They were detained by the police and held for several hours.

Culmination: Azerbaijanis protest in America

In January of this year, Azerbaijanis living in America held a protest in front of the United Nations against the change in the Constitution which would authorize one person to become a president for life. Emin Milli was a group member of AZAD, an organization which was one of the main organizers of the protest.

In April 2009, Emin Milli makes a very sharp and critical statement about the changes in the Azerbaijani constitution in Columbia University in New York.

Two carnations at the Flower Holiday

The police detained Emin for the last time this May, on the birthday of late president Heydar Aliyev. On that day, Milli came with his friends to commemorate those who died in Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shootings. To protest the Flower Festival Milli and his friends brought two carnations (usually reserved for funerals) and were standing close to the place where the Flower Holiday was held. The Flower Holiday was held on late president Heydar Aliyev's birthday. The police detained Milli along with other protesters for several hours.

And finally "Lebanese"...

On July 8, 2009 Emin together with six other friends was sitting at the bar of "Lebanese" restaurant when, according to eyewitness accounts there was an attack from the neighboring table and Emin and his friend, Adnan Hajizada were beaten. After they filed a complaint to the police station they were detained as accused of hooliganism. According to a joint statement made by Baku City Head Prosecutor's Office and Ministry of Internal Affairs, they used ethically inappropriate words loudly at the bar. Two other people at the bar, Babak Huseynov and Vusal Mammadov wanted to reproach them for their behavior, yet Emin and Adnan used violence against those two and physically abused them.

"Youth like Emin Milli had great hopes about Ilham Aliyev"...

According to the political analyst Rauf Mirgedirov, the youth like Emin Milli had great hopes about Ilham Aliyev till 2005 and regarded him as far sighted leader who knows foreign languages and has a Western mindset. "Yet after 2005, as freedom's circle got narrower and narrower, these youth were very disappointed. They chose a new, alternative method for their struggle through information technologies."

"More dangerous than the opposition"

According to Rauf Mirgedirov, this youth is even more dangerous to the government than the opposition, because while the youth at opposition parties' youth organizations was patriotic, it didn't have a good education. Youth like Emin is both patriotic and at the same time they have wider possibilities and links as they studied abroad. "This is why the government in worrying about the increase in online auditorium of these youth."

The Executive Secretary of New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Ali Ahmedov noted in his press conference to the journalists that Emin Milli's arrest is not politically motivated and the affair should not be politicized.

Head Prosecutor's Office and Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a joint statement, where they asked the embassies which condemned Adnan Hajizada's and Emin Milli's arrest not to interfere in the investigation process.

"Reporters Without Borders" introduces Emin Milli as a "blogger", yet in Azerbaijan Emin Milli is known more as a person spreading information on various forums and social networks.

To see original article in azeri click here

Arrested bloggers to sue "Yeni Musavat" newspaper

2009-07-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

Sevinj Huseynzadeh

Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh plan to sue "Yeni Musavat" newspaper, Emin Milli's attorney Elton Guliyev told Radio Liberty after visiting him on 15 July.

Guliyev says there are such plans and the newspaper is likely to be sued : "We demand truth and objectiveness. Emin Milli never had active political agenda. His attitude towards revolution culture in Azerbaijan is also negative. In his speeches he never supported revolution and said Azerbaijan needed speedy progress."

E.Guliyev said E.Milli's health and detention conditions were normal.

E.Milli and A.Hajizadeh were arrested on 7 July following an incident at "Lebanese" restaurant and charged with hooliganism. The court verdict ordered 2 month pre-trial detention for both.

Their attorneys filed a court appeal on 14 July.

"Yeni Musavat" newspaper wrote both bloggers were arrested for attempts to organise a US-supported "orange revolution" in Azerbaijan.

To see original article in azeri click here

Adnan Hajizadeh demands rebuttal from "Yeni Musavat"

2009-07-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

"Adnan Hajizadeh's health and detention conditions are normal and he is comfortable with the way the detention center management treats him" attorney Isakhan Ashurov told Turan news agency.

Ashurov visited the blogger on Wednesday and said Adnan was surprised and angry with the article published in "Yeni Musavat" talking about Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli's involvement in "orange revolution" plans in Azerbaijan.

Adnan's attorney quoted him: "I am not a revolutionary and not part of any color revolution project. Article in Yeni Musavat is a nonsense. I think this provocation is aimed at creating negative opinion in the grass roots about me. It's clear what motivates those who assert so. But I can't understand why Yeni Musavat participates in this dirty process. I demand rebuttal for this groundless article."

Ashurov also said Adnan's broken nose was X-rayed at the detention center. "But they didn't hand examination results to him. Hajizadeh doesn't receive medical treatment for nose injury."

Turan

Appeal to the president of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliev

2009-07-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Of the participants of the Civil Society Forum of 9 July 2009 connected to the pressure exercised on young activists to the president of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliev

Copy to Minister of Interior Affairs Ramil Usubov

Mr. President!

I would like to bring to your attention the fact that on 8 July 2009 young Azerbaijan civil society activists Emin Milli, Adnan Hajizade and Orhan Gafarli have been attacked by plain clothed people in the restaurant “Lebanist” in the centre of Baku. The attackers beat up Emil Milli and Adnan Hajizade with the cries “Why do you criticize the government?” and incurred physical injuries of various degrees.After the incident the youngsters were taken over to the Sabail region police department and made to give explanation of the incident. However, the attacked received no medical assistance at the time. This is a violation of the law endangering the health of the attacked.

At the same time, the two people referred to above, despite being the attacked, have been treated as suspects and subjected to 48 hour detainment by the police. Despite persistent demands of the attacked and their friends and family, police investigator Ziya Aliyev would not allow the attacked to meet with their lawyer. Thus, one of the tenet human rights principles – the right to receive legal assistance, as set forth by the article 61 of the Azerbaijan Republic Constitution, was violated. Violation of this principle is also in contradiction with the Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which envisions the right to “fair judicial investigation”. Under thesetwo legal provisions, the detainment of the two youngsters shall be considered as an invalid measure.

It is unclear if the two attackers of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade have also been detained or not, and the general public is kept ignorant of the issue. We believe the fact that Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade have been exposed to pressure and detained, despite being attacked, is related to their free expression of their views and active participation in the social and public process and, which is in violation of the article 47 of the Azerbaijan Republic Constitution on “freedom of expression”.

It shall be mentioned that on 8 July the police used physical force against members of youth organizations, representatives of mass media and non-governmental organizations who gathered in front of the Sabail region police department in connection with the detainment of the above youngsters. Such a restriction represents a contradiction to one of the basic principles of a democratic society - the right for free gathering, envisioned by the article 49 of the Azerbaijan Republic Constitution and article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

I kindly request of you to detain and administer sanctions against attackers of the active young people Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade; to release the attacked; and to ensure fair judicial investigation.

With regards

Cem Özdemir

The New York Times: In Azerbaijan, a Donkey Suit Provokes Laughs and, Possibly, Arrests

2009-07-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

By ELLEN BARRY
Published: July 14, 2009

MOSCOW — Late last month, a group of Azeri bloggers posted their latest tongue-in-cheek opus, a video in which a donkey holds a news conference before a circle of gravely nodding journalists.

Dressed in a voluminous grey costume, 26-year-old Adnan Hajizada he describes the lush life awaiting donkeys in Azerbaijan. To his audience — cosmopolitan young Azeris following his commentaries on Facebook — the video was a sly send-up of the government, which had been accused in the local news media of paying exorbitant prices to import donkeys.

Mr. Hajizada, 26, and his friend Emin Milli, 30, were arrested last week in Baku, in an incident their supporters say could mark the beginning of a crackdown on online media. Azeri authorities said the two physically attacked other men, though eyewitnesses have challenged that account. They are awaiting trial on charges of hooliganism, which carries a sentence of between one and five years in prison.

According to an appeal filed by Mr. Hajizada’s lawyer, the two men were with friends at a restaurant last Wednesday, engrossed in political debate, when two strangers broke into their conversation and started a fight. Mr. Hajizada and Mr. Milli went to a police station to file a complaint about the assault, but instead an investigator opened a criminal case against them, the appeal said.

After American and German diplomats criticized the arrests, the Azeri authorities released a tersely worded statement on Tuesday, urging “embassies of foreign countries to stop interfering in the investigation” and describing the arrests as “an ordinary hooliganism case” with no political overtones.

“Those sites in Azeri society have no sympathizers, and arouse little interest, at least none that we have observed,” said Ali Hassanov, a senior aide in Azerbaijan’s presidential administration. “I honestly had never heard of these young people.”

In Azerbaijan, as elsewhere in the region, Internet use has risen as press freedoms have dwindled. With the Azeri government buoyed by sky-high oil prices in recent years, opposition voices have all but disappeared from public life. Television, once financed by competing oligarchs, has come under solid government control, and advertisers pulled back from newspapers critical of the government. Web sites — especially those registered on foreign servers, which cannot be blocked by the government — became “the last source of information,” said Magerram Zeynalov, 27, a former newspaper reporter.

Mr. Milli and Mr. Hajizada had returned to Baku after attending universities in Germany and the United States, and fell into a loose circle of other Western-oriented young people. Mr. Milli, 30, and launched an online television channel. Mr. Hajizada, who worked in public relations for British Petroleum, organized a youth group, Ol, and began dabbling in video satire — something his father, a major opposition figure, warned him was dangerous.

“I always told him, ‘Be careful, son, be careful,’” said Hikmet Hajizada, who once served as Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia. “I told him that. But in our situation, no one knows from what direction danger comes.”

Miriam Lanskoy, a senior program officer at the National Endowment for Democracy who helped fund Mr. Hajizada’s organization, said the arrests came as a shock because they targeted the small, well-educated and relatively affluent group that has flocked to Internet news sources.

“This is saying to that cream of the crop of young people that you can’t express yourself,” said Ms. Lanskoy. “This is a country that is really trying to hold onto these kids. This is also a message to them.”

To see original article click here