TBILISI, Georgia — Europe’s main rights body cautioned Azerbaijan on Friday that it cannot silence the “new generation of free-thinkers,” after it jailed two opposition bloggers.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has joined the Council of Europe and human rights groups in condemning the jailing last week of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli for 24 months and 30 months.
They were convicted of hooliganism after an incident in a Baku cafe. Supporters say they were victims of an unprovoked attack after posting their latest tongue-in-cheek swipe at authorities under President Ilham Aliyev.
“This is a new generation of free-thinkers,” said Miklos Haraszti, OSCE representative for media freedom. “Those who decided to put into jail totally innocent people, while the whole world watches … they simply don’t read the spirit of the times.”
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