Conviction of bloggers in Azerbaijan ‘a blow to freedom of expression’, say PACE rapporteurs

Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), co-rapporteur for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, and Christoph Strässer (Germany, SOC), rapporteur on the follow-up to the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on 12 November expressed their dismay at the conviction of two satirical bloggers, following a two-month trial.

Adnan Hadjizadeh, 26, and Emin Milli, 30, were accused of hooliganism after an altercation in a cafe in July and were respectively sentenced yesterday to two years and to two-and-a-half years in prison. The two activists were proposing alternative and critical information on the government’s activities through the Internet. “This case is yet another blow to freedom of expression in Azerbaijan and a serious setback on the country’s path to democratisation,” the two rapporteurs said.

“The disproportionate legal charges, the lack of transparency in the investigation process, the use of closed court hearings, and the failure to charge the other persons involved in the altercation raise wider concerns about the independence of the police and the judiciary in the country,” they added.

Mr Herkel and Mr Strässer called for an appeal procedure open to international observation in line with European standards for a fair trial. The rapporteurs also underlined their intention to pay great attention to the arrest and conviction of opposition activists and representatives of civil society while preparing their respective reports on Azerbaijan.