Bloggers censored in Azerbaijan and Georgia

From the Georgian International Media Centre:

The state directed media censor reports about other countries too

One of the biggest stories to come out of the Caucasus this year has been the trial to two bloggers, Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, in Azerbaijan for making a satirical video about official press conferences and the attitudes of the state controlled media in that country.

It is a story that has been reported all over the world.

But it seems it is just too hot to handle for the state directed media in Georgia: we can find no record that they have covered it at all.

To be honest, I had not heard from the Western corporate media about the Azeri bloggers being censored. Maybe because the government of oil rich Azerbaijan, like the Saakashvili regime in Georgia, still has reasonable good relations to many NATO governments?

This video is called VideoPetition for Adnan Hacizade and Emin Milli.

Youth activists Emin Abdullayev (blogger name Emin Milli) and Adnan Hajizade were sentenced on Wednesday to 30 and 24 months’ imprisonment respectively on charges of “hooliganism” and “inflicting minor bodily harm”: here.

Freedom of expression campaigners will protest outside the Azerbaijani embassy in London on Thursday calling for an end to the persecution of jailed journalist Eynulla Fatullayev: here.

According to RFE/RL, which covered the summit, “EU officials make it clear that Georgia no longer enjoys front-runner status in the region. All three governments have serious problems with democratic standards, harbor prisoners of conscience, and harass free media in their countries”: here.

Australian government plans internet censorship: here.