Court confirms pre-trial detention for two bloggers

Reporters Without Borders condemns today’s Baku appeal court decision confirming a two-month detention order for bloggers Adnan Haji Zadeh and Emin Mili pending their trial on trumped-up charges of hooliganism. They have been held since 8 July.

“There are absolutely no grounds for this decision, which bodes ill for free expression in Azerbaijan,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We reiterate our call for the release of Zadeh and Mili, who are being held for political reasons, not because they committed any crime. They have been paying a high price for the dishonesty of the authorities ever since their arrest.”