According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the Court of Appeals in Baku, Azerbaijan, ruled today that Adnan Hadji-zadeh should be freed after serving half his two-year sentence on charges of “hooliganism.” Hadji-zadeh and fellow blogger Emin Milli were charged with hooliganism after being physically attacked at a restaurant in Baku in July 2009. The attack occurred soon after the bloggers posted a satirical video portraying a fake government press conference in which Hadji-zadeh dressed as a donkey. The “donkey bloggers” claim they were victims of an unprovoked attack and that their imprisonment was meant as a warning to other opposition activists. Their case has drawn criticism from human rights organizations around the world, as well as from international leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama.

 

Milli remains in prison, but his case will also be reviewed in the Court of Appeals tomorrow. Hadji-zadeh is optimistic that Milli, too, will be released, as supporters of the bloggers continue to demand.

 

In its “Defending Civil Society” report, the World Movement addresses freedom of expression, and articulates six principles for protecting civil society. The third principle states that “Civil society representatives, individually and through their organizations, enjoy the right to freedom of expression.” The World Movement also raised the case of the donkey bloggers in April at its Sixth Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia, during a plenary session, “Muted Voices, Controlled Spaces, & Restricted Funds: How to Defend Civil Society?” After a presentation of video of the Donkey press conference, World Movement participant Leyla Yunus asserted that the arrest of the bloggers was an indication of how the Azerbaijani government seeks to mute emerging voices calling for reform.

 

To read the RFE/RL article, go to: www.rferl.org/content/Court_Orders_Release_Of_Azerbaijani_Donkey_Blogger/2223427.html

 

For background on the case, go to: www.wmd.org/networking/central-and-eastern-europe-eurasia/spotlight/caucasus#bloggers

 

To learn more about the “Defending Civil Society” project, go to: www.wmd.org/projects/defending-civil-society