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A group of UK politicians is demanding the immediate release of the Azerbaijani bloggers arrested in Baku last week. In the equivalent of an MPs’ petition, 17 politicians condemn what they say is a "rapidly deteriorating human rights situation" in Azerbaijan. The MPs want the British government to put pressure on President Aliev to release the two and end the "prosecution of independent media and opposition activists."
In the motion, Labour MP Paul Flynn says the MPs condemn “the attacks and imprisonment of youth activists in Azerbaijan on 10 July 2009.”
He and the 17 other MPs are calling on the UK government to demand their immediate release.
They also call for the end to what they say is the “prosecution of independent media and opposition activists.”
The two, Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli, are described as youth movement leaders, civil society activists and citizen journalists.
According to reports on several blogs, Facebook and postings on Twitter, the charges against the two could result in their imprisonment for up to two and a half years.
Updates on Twitter
Adnan Hajizada
It’s reported that the two men were beaten and then arrested in a Baku restaurant.
Ali S. Novruzov a blogging researcher based in Baku who also writes for Global Voices Online and the FrontLine Club blog says the two months of pre-trial detention is the maximum period that they could have been held for.
Novruzov writes that during the two months the investigation has to be concluded and their case brought before the judge.
If the investigation is not concluded, their detention period can be extended for additional two months.
"While detained, they won’t be able to receive any guests, instead of their lawyers.
"They will be held in a new detention center in a town of Kurdokhani, a small town in an hour’s drive from Baku," he writes.
Campaigners are calling for supporters of the two to write to the US Embassy in Baku to try to get help for the two detained bloggers.
An online video petition has been set up demanding the release of the two.
The UK MPs who signed the motion are: Paul Flynn, Lynne Jones, Bob Russell, Andrew Dismore, David Taylor, Martin Caton, Gordon Prentice, Alan Simpson, Kelvin Hopkins, Jeremy Corbyn, Ann Cryer, Mark Durkan, Andrew George, Alasdair McDonnell, Ronnie Campbell, Clive Efford, Rudi Vis, and Dai Davies.
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