Azernews.Az

Four Azerbaijani opposition activists have been jailed for up to three years for taking part in an antigovernment protest six months ago that was broken up by police.

The four were the last of a group of 14 activists to be sentenced in connection with the April 2 protest. All but one were jailed, with sentences ranging from 1 1/2 to three years.

Baku's Nasimi district court sentenced Ahad Mammadli and Ulvi Guliyev of the opposition Musavat party to three years in jail; Elnur Majidli of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party to two years in jail, and Musavat member Rufat Hajibayli to 1 1/2 years in jail after they were charged with attempting to violate public order and resisting government officials.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has criticized "further convictions of peaceful demonstrators" in Azerbaijan. A statement, issued last Saturday by the spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, says: "Recalling EU statements earlier this year which expressed concerns about freedom of assembly in Azerbaijan and the EU statement of 26 August regretting the convictions of six participants in the peaceful demonstration of 2 April 2011, High Representative Catherine Ashton is very concerned about the sentencing of 4 more participants in these events."

The statement said Ashton considers that these convictions are not consistent with Azerbaijan's efforts to progress toward a pluralistic democracy and are a "discouraging signal".

"The High Representative calls on the judiciary in Azerbaijan to ensure a fair, transparent and evidence-based appeal process. In this context, she also expresses concerns about the increasingly challenging working environment for independent lawyers. The EU Delegation has been instructed to closely monitor further developments on this issue and remain engaged in assisting Azerbaijan in fulfilling its commitments with regard to democracy and the rule of law."