Jailed Donkey Satirists Defiant

Some people had been expecting that the harsh sentences handed down to two young online activists last week in Azerbaijan would cast a chill over pro-democracy internet campaigning in the energy-rich, politically intolerant former Soviet state. According to some bloggers there, however, the prosecution of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade could possibly have the opposite effect, inspiring other young people to speak out more openly. Prominent Azeri blogger Ali Novruzov emailed me at the weekend to say this:

"This case was seen from the very beginning as an assault on online speech, that the small community of citizen journalists and activists who dare to speak their mind and criticise the government policies, thus it could be predicted that after Emin and Adnan receive harsh sentences despite huge international and internal pressures, they would shut up or lessen their tone. But it went as unpredictable as the trial itself was. From what I witness now, the youth activists and citizen journalists have become more politically conscious, outspoken and more organized."

Here's more on the story from my regular column in The Moscow Times:

"I'm ready to take any punishment for the ideals I believe in. It is an honour for me to be imprisoned for my ideals."

These were the defiant last words of a young Azeri internet activist, just before he and a fellow campaigner were taken from a courtroom last week in the capital, Baku, to start prison sentences for ‘hooliganism’. Emin Milli was jailed for two-and-a-half years and Adnan Hajizade for two years after they were convicted of starting a fight in a restaurant. But their friends insist they were prosecuted because they were using online media like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to build support for pro-democracy youth movements in Azerbaijan.

"If there was a sentence, it means they were guilty," a ruling party spokesman declared. Supporters of the two young activists, however, claim that the evidence was fabricated and the verdict was intended as a warning: public criticism of the authorities can put you behind bars. "Our special thanks to the Azerbaijani government for they showed to whole world our ‘justice’ at work," wrote one Baku-based blogger. International rights groups and western diplomats have denounced the prosecution, but Azerbaijan’s massive energy resources have made its government increasingly impervious to external censure.

The case follows a series of clampdowns on traditional media and the imprisonment of several opposition journalists. Political satire is seen as particularly risky; Milli and Hajizade were arrested not long after distributing a comical video clip which featured a talking donkey lampooning official corruption. Local analysts have suggested that the authorities could also be concerned about the rise of new generation of internet-savvy, independent-minded youth in Azerbaijan. Television stations largely echo the government’s opinions, but the use of online media has been increasing significantly and is harder to control.

Friends of Milli and Hajizade have told me that they believe the case was an attempt to scare other Azeri internet activists into silence. But when I asked one of them if she thought this was likely to succeed, I got a surprising response: "People are not afraid any more, they are proud of Emin and Adnan and want to continue everything," she replied. "The current spirit among young people fighting for democracy and liberty now is: this is not the end, this is a great beginning."