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Azerbaijan Blogger Complaint Rejected By Judge


Youth activists Adnan Hajizade (left) and Emin Milli
Youth activists Adnan Hajizade (left) and Emin Milli
A complaint filed by jailed Azerbaijani bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada about inhuman treatment by Sabayil district police was rejected by a district court judge on July 23 in a closed-court hearing.

The judge, Famil Nasibov, did not explain why the hearing was being held behind closed doors.

Milli and Hajizada are protesting police actions on June 8-9 when they were detained after filing a complaint to police about an assault by two people who attacked them in a restaurant.

Police used iron handcuffs to bind Milli and Hajizada to each other “in violation of European provisions of human rights," their lawyer, Isakhan Ashurov said.

According to their legal team, Milli and Hajizada were also denied proper medical treatment of wounds they received from assailants and a lawyer of their choice.

Meanwhile, the U.S. mission to OSCE and EU made statements at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today expressing concerns about the bloggers' case and the human rights in the country.

And in the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva, ambassadors of the 27 EU member states voiced disquiet "about the condition of human rights and freedoms" in the country where President Ilham Aliyev and his late father have held power almost uninterrupted for nearly three decades.

-- Khadija Ismayilova

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"Watchdog" is a blog with a singular mission -- to monitor the latest developments concerning human rights, civil society, and press freedom. We'll pay particular attention to reports concerning countries in RFE/RL's broadcast region.

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