Saturday, March 20, 2010

'Donkey Bloggers' in Azerbaijan lose appeal against fabricated charges



Amnesty International has accused the Azerbaijani government of stifling dissent after a court turned down an appeal by two bloggers against their conviction on fabricated charges of “hooliganism”. originally this press release was posted on 10 March 2010.


A Baku court today (Wednesday) upheld the convictions of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli who were sentenced to two and to two and a half years respectively after they posted a video critical of the government on YouTube. Amnesty International believes their trial was unfair and that the two are prisoners of conscience.


In none of the seven appeal hearings were the two key witnesses called to give evidence. The appeal court upheld the original court decision to reject evidence without explanation, including photographs of the bloggers’ injuries and video footage of the incident.


Andrea Huber, Europe and Central Asia Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty International, said:


“Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have fallen victim to the increasingly repressive measures taken by the Azerbaijani authorities to crackdown on critics of the government.

“They were convicted on fabricated charges, in a trial falling short of international standards for fairness, solely because they were expressing their views.

“Independent journalists and activists continue to face harassment and imprisonment in Azerbaijan despite the country’s international obligations to uphold the right to freedom of expression.”

The bloggers were arrested on 8 July 2009 after they were attacked by two unknown men and were accused of “hooliganism”. 



The two activists have used online networking tools, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, to spread information about society and politics in Azerbaijan.


Emin Milli is the co-founder of an online community that discusses politics called Alumni Network, while Adnan Hajizade is a co-ordinator of the youth movement known as OL!, which advocates non-violence and tolerance.


A week before their arrest a video produced by Adnan Hajizade had been posted on YouTube, showing 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 hundreds of thousands of dollars importing donkeys from Germany, in a deal that may have masked corruption or theft of public funds.


The video questions the purchase of the donkeys, the introduction of restrictive legislation for NGOs and the low priority the government attributes to human rights.
Call for the immediate and unconditional release of Adnan and Emin

Review maps while making flood-fighting plans in Fargo


From left, U.S. Air Force Capt. Grant Larson, of the 119th Maintenance Squadron, Army Col. Steve Tabor, facilities director of the North Dakota National Guard, and Air Force Col. Ron Solberg, commander of the 119th Support Group, review maps while making flood-fighting plans in Fargo, N.D., March 18, 2010. (DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Friday, March 19, 2010

U.S. Air Force operations officer and instructor pilot


U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff Myer, operations officer and instructor pilot with the 52nd Expeditionary Flight Training Squadron (EFTS), conducts a preflight inspection of an Iraqi air force T-6A aircraft prior to a training readiness mission at Al Sahra Air Base on Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq, March 15, 2010. (DoD photo by Chief Petty Officer Michael D. Heckman, U.S. Navy/Released)

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Painting a child’s face


U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Melanie Allen, a training instructor with the 28th Security Forces Squadron, paints a child’s face during the Kids, Spouses and Teachers Understanding Deployment Operations event on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 13, 2010. The event featured various military demonstrations, a mock deployment line and a B-1B Lancer aircraft tour. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Flynn, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Teo Chee Hean into the Pentagon

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, right, escorts Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean into the Pentagon March 16, 2010, to hold security discussions on global issues. (DoD photo by R. D. Ward/Released)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

An aerial photography exercise

 U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anthony R. Hayes conducts an aerial photography exercise on the ramp of an MH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter over Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, March 10, 2010. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael B. W. Watkins, U.S. Navy/Released)

Two landing craft mechanized (LCM)

Two landing craft mechanized (LCM) vessels carry vehicles to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) before the ship’s departure from Moorehead City, N.C., March 13, 2010. Fort McHenry has returned stateside after participating in Operation Unified Response, a multinational effort to assist Haitians affected by the 7.0-magintude earthquake that struck Haiti Jan. 12, 2010. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Darryl I. Wood, U.S. Navy/Released)

Defensive Tactics

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Aldana, a unit trainer assigned to the 35th Security Forces Squadron, explains defensive tactics to Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Sgt. Takuro Koganezaki at Misawa Air Base, Japan, March 11, 2010. During the training, Aldana covered defensive weapon and troop-movement tactics in preparation for a joint exercise. (DoD photo by Senior Airman Jamal D. Sutter, U.S. Air Force/Released)