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Layout Copy 1 don ’t let t he m be s il enced azerbaijani activists imprisoned for speaking out 2 don’t let them be silenced azerbaijani activists imprisoned for speaking out despite a systematic campaign of harassment by the authorities, young Azerbaijani activists are determined to find a way to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. in the face of a government crackdown on dissent, the internet has become the last refuge for free expression in Azerbaijan. A small but determined group of young activists are video blogging, posting and tweeting their calls for democratic reforms and an end to pervasive government corruption. The Azerbaijani authorities are doing Now the space for free expression in JAbbAr sAvAlAn: A post everything in their power to discredit and Azerbaijan is contracting further as the too fAr intimidate these activists. State television regime seeks to shut out any view aired has broadcast a series of interviews and online by Azerbaijanis (at home or abroad), Jabbar Savalan, aged 19, was arrested for documentaries which portrayed Facebook which is contrary to the government’s. his Facebook activity. He was studying users as “mentally ill”. Universities, Increasingly, the government is targeting history at Sumgayit University, and was an controlled by the state, routinely warn young activists in the hope that making active member of the youth wing of the students to steer clear of criticizing the examples of the most outspoken will opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party status quo or face expulsion. dissuade others from speaking out. (APFP), attending meetings and demonstrations against the government. 2011 has seen a marked increase in the number of people prosecuted on trumped- In early January 2011, Jabbar re-posted on up charges in response to their attempts to Facebook an article originally published in a speak out against an authoritarian and Turkish newspaper. The article described corrupt government. The overwhelming President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as majority of these individuals are convicted corrupt and as a gambler. Jabbar also took after unfair trials and sentenced to long part in an anti-government protest on 20 prison terms. January. In addition to trumped-up charges, the On 4 February he posted on Facebook authorities are making full use of the calling for a “Day of Rage”, inspired by vagaries in Azerbaijani legislation to punish protests in the Middle East and North dissenting opinion. Shout “liberty” in the Africa. The next day, he told his family that street in Azerbaijan and you could be sent he was being followed by unknown men. to prison for up to 10 days. Get others to S F shout it out with you, and you could end up R On the evening of 5 February, he was I behind bars for three years, convicted of © seized as he returned home from an APFP “organizing and participating in actions Jabbar Savalan behind bars during a court meeting. Police officers detained him promoting social disorder.” hearing in July 2011. without any explanation or informing him of his rights. Amnesty international october 2011 index: eur 55/010/2011 l a n o i t a n r e t n I y t s e n m A © Police charge at protesters during a peaceful demonstration on 12 March 2011. He was handcuffed and manhandled in and Apart from the evidence, which was person who allegedly told the police that out of the vehicle before being searched at allegedly planted, his conviction was largely Jabbar possessed drugs, or how this a police station. Police then claim to have based on the confession he was forced to individual could have known that Jabbar found 0.74g of marijuana in his outer jacket sign without access to a lawyer and has possessed drugs. pocket. since retracted. At his final appeal hearing, Jabbar told the Jabbar Savalan was interrogated over the After the trial, the police officer who first court: “Living inside four walls is not too weekend (Saturday night and Sunday 6 interrogated Jabbar approached his lawyer, difficult for me. After all, one could say that February) without access to a lawyer. When Anar Gasimov, and threatened him. The there is no place which is free in this he eventually met his lawyer on Monday 7 officer told him that he did not like his country.” February, he said that police had slapped closing speech, because it was critical of and threatened him until he signed a the state. The policeman added: “I know Jabbar is not the first to be accused and confession. He denied possessing the where you live. We will see what I will do for convicted in this way. Drugs have been marijuana and said that the police must you.” The lawyer now fears that he will have "found" on other prominent critics of the have planted it on him when they put him in evidence planted on him. government, such as Eynulla Fatullayev the police vehicle. and Sakit Zahidov. Jabbar Savalan’s family is adamant that he has no history of drug use. This was In December 2009, prison guards claimed “I know where you live. We will confirmed by his friends and classmates. to have found heroin on imprisoned see what I will do for you.” One told Amnesty International: “Jabbar is journalist Eynulla Fatullayev. He was not a smoker and doesn't drink alcohol at convicted and sentenced to two and a half all – there is no way he would be a drug years in July 2010, shortly after the On 7 February, Sumgayit District Court user.” European Court of Human Rights had ordered Jabbar Savalan to spend two ordered his immediate release. months in pre-trial detention. On 4 May, Jabbar appealed against his conviction in he was convicted of possessing illegal July, but the appeal was rejected. During In 2006, another prominent critic of the drugs for personal use, despite a blood test the appeal hearings the Chief of Criminal government, journalist Sakit Zahidov, was taken after his arrest which showed no trace Investigations at the Sumgayit City Police sentenced to three years for allegedly of drugs. The court sentenced him to 26 Department was called to give evidence. possessing heroin, which he says police months in prison. He refused to reveal the identity of the planted in his pocket. index: eur 55/010/2011 Amnesty international october 2011 Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade outside the restaurant where they were attacked in July 2009. AdnAn hAJizAde And emin milli: A government sense of humour fAilure On 8 July 2009, youth activists and bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, then aged 26 and 30, were attacked in a restaurant by two unknown men. They tried to make a complaint to the police immediately after the attack, but instead they were arrested on charges of hooliganism. The two activists had used online networking tools, such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, to spread information about the situation in Azerbaijan. Emin Milli is the co-founder of Alumni Network, an online community that discusses politics. He also criticized the changes to the Azerbaijani Constitution, which abolished the presidential term limit − thus allowing current President Ilham Aliyev or any successor to stand for re-election on a continuous basis. Adnan Hajizade is a co- ordinator of the youth movement known as OL!, which advocates non-violence and tolerance. On 28 June 2009, OL! posted a satirical video on YouTube, produced by Adnan Hajizade, criticizing the Azerbaijani government. The video is of a spoof press conference delivered by a donkey. The video was posted in the wake of a news story about how the Azerbaijani government had allegedly spent thousands of dollars importing donkeys from Germany in a deal that may have masked corruption or theft of public funds. It questions the purchase of the donkeys, the introduction of restrictive legislation for NGOs and the low priority the government gives to human rights. Just over a week later, Adnan Hajizade and l a Emin Milli were dining with five other n o i t activists in a restaurant in Baku, a n r e t n I y t s e n m A © L R / E F R © Azerbaijan’s capital city. According to police interrogated them as suspects for Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade behind bars at witnesses, they were approached by two five hours and arrested them on charges of court hearing in 2010. well-built men who swore at them and ”hooliganism”. They were denied access to demanded to know what they were talking their lawyer and given a lawyer appointed about. When Emin Milli replied that the by the authorities. Adnan and Emin were conversation did not concern the two men, remanded in custody pending their trial, In November 2010, Adnan Hajizade and one of the men head-butted him and he fell and the charge of “inflicting minor bodily Emin Milli were released on parole after to the floor. The same man then struck harm” was added to their existing charge. having spent 16 months in prison. Their Adnan Hajizade, knocking him to the surprise early release followed a large ground. One man blocked the rest of the In the course of the investigation, police and international campaign by several human activists with a table while the initial prosecutors did not interview witnesses, or rights organizations, including Amnesty aggressor kicked and beat Adnan Hajizade obtain video evidence from a security International, and diplomatic pressure, and Emin Milli as they lay on the floor. The camera that may have recorded the notably by the USA. incident lasted about two minutes and was incident in the restaurant.
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