Azerbaijani human rights activists are indignant with judgement on bloggers

Members of Azerbaijani NGOs have resolutely condemned the decision of the Baku Appeal Court to uphold the ruling of the Sabail District Court to arrest youth activists and bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Gadjizade for the period of two months.

"This decision is an evidence that the country leaders strive to set up an authoritative police regime in Azerbaijan and completely ignore their obligations undertaken at accession to the Council of Europe and their declared adherence to democracy and European integration," Leila Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), said in her conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The members of international human rights organizations, whom I've informed, are shocked by this decision," Ms Yunus has noted.

Arzu Abdullaeva, head of the National Committee of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, has treated the actions of the authorities against young activists as "torture". "At today's court session, Adnan Gadjizade addressed the judge on a number of occasions saying that no medical aid was given to him so far. If we remember that his nose was broken more that 10 days ago, what happens there is a real torture," said Ms Abdullaeva.

Emin Guseinov, Director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), has also condemned the decision of the Baku Appeal Court. "We've become witnesses of another fact showing the absence in Azerbaijan of independent judiciary. Despite the heightened interest of local and international democratic society to the case of Emin Milli and Adnan Gadjizade, the judges held the trial in the closed regime and, having ignored the arguments and petitions of the defence, made their hasty decision in favour of the prosecution," said Mr Guseinov.

In his turn, Mr Gasanov, head of the public-political division of the administration of the President of Azerbaijan, has stated that the issue of the arrest of Milli and Gadjizade "is inflated and politicized, which is used against the Azerbaijani statehood". "It can be treated as pressure on the court," he said.