International organizations to send their representatives to trial at Azerbaijani bloggers

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.

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