Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Azerbaijan: Jail threat for donkey bloggers

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Azerbaijan: Jail threat for donkey bloggers

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/technology/8233598.stm

    11:28 GMT, Wednesday, 2 September 2009 12:28 UK

    Jail threat for donkey bloggers

    Two bloggers from Azerbaijan are facing up to five years in jail after
    posting a video of a donkey giving a news conference on YouTube.

    Shortly after the video was released, Andnan Hajizade and Emin Milli
    were held on hooliganism charges following a scuffle in a restaurant.

    Their lawyer says the arrests were politically motivated.

    But authorities insist they are investigating a simple criminal case.

    In the video, the donkey extols the benefits of living in Azerbaijan
    and praises the government for its positive attitude towards donkeys.

    The video was seen by many as a send-up of government news
    conferences, which critics say are often little more than propaganda
    events.

    "This incident is definitely politically motivated," said the
    bloggers' lawyer, Isakhan Ashurov.

    "My clients did not beat anybody, quite the opposite."

    The Azerbaijani government denies that the bloggers' arrest was
    politically motivated.

    "People are not arrested in Azerbaijan because of political activity,"
    said Ali Hasnov, a senior adviser to President Ilham Aliyev, in a
    statement.

    "There was a scuffle between some young people and some of them were injured.

    "Law enforcement agencies are investigating the case and will give an
    impartial assessment," he added.

    'Black spot'

    Speaking to the BBC, Elsa Vidal - Europe desk officer with Reporters
    Without Borders - said that press freedoms in Azerbaijan were almost
    non-existent, making it "one of the black spots of the former USSR".

    "The situation is still severe and local public servants enjoy virtual
    immunity from an investigation from the press when they try and expose
    corruption," she said.

    "There are no grounds for the bloggers to be prosecuted. They should
    be released and all accusations should be dropped.

    "The authorities have more to lose in jailing the bloggers than in
    freeing them, but who knows what will actually be said at the trial?"
    she added.

    The UN Human Rights Committee also raised concerns about the arrests,
    saying there were "extensive limitations to the right to freedom of
    expression" in Azerbaijan.

    Supporters of the pair say the arrests might have backfired and given
    the video far more prominence than it would otherwise have had.

    A number of websites calling for the release of the two men have gone
    live, along with a Facebook group with almost 1,000 members. There is
    also a video petition.

    "Before the arrest, only a few hundred people had seen the video,"
    Erkin Karirli, a member of the bloggers' support group, told the AFP
    news agency.

    "Since the arrest, the video has been seen by thousands and the number
    continues to grow.

    "The arrest has only promoted the video."
Working...
X