Azerbaijan Supreme Court upholds bloggers' sentences
BAKU – Azerbaijan's Supreme Court has upheld the November 2009 sentences given to jailed bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, Radio Liberty reports.
Hajizada and Milli were arrested in July 2009 and sentenced to 2 and 2 1/2 years in prison, respectively, on hooliganism charges. Human rights organizations and Western governments have said the charges are politically motivated.
The sentences had previously been upheld by an appeals court.
Lawyers for the two men demanded that the Supreme Court annul the appeals court ruling and bring charges against the police and the Sabail district court judge for "illegal arrest" and "violation of judiciary procedures" during the bloggers' trial.
Prosecutor Mehbali Qurbanov criticized the defense for allegedly politicizing the case.
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