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."