VZCZCXRO6896
OO RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHKB #0567/01 1951345
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141345Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1491
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHMZ/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000567 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM AJ
SUBJECT: LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO DETAINMENT OF 
YOUTH ACTIVISTS 
 
REF: A. BAKU 557 
     ¶B. BAKU 366 
     ¶C. BAKU 526 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Since the arrest and jailing of Emin Milli 
and Adnan Hajizade, two well-known Azerbaijani youth 
activists, the NGO community has united in  effort to gain 
their release as well as to protect others from a similar 
fate.  Like the recent controversy over the NGO law and the 
government's extremely measured response to the April 30 
slayings at the State Oil Academy, this issue has galvanized 
the usually fractious civil society groups. However, due to 
the nature of the presumed set-up of Milli and Hajizade, 
there is a perceptible fear among NGO leaders, especially 
youth leaders, that they are in increasing danger of arrest 
if they continue their criticism. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) At approximately 19:00, July 8, Emin Milli and Adnan 
Hajizade were attacked by two brawny individuals in a 
downtown Baku restaurant (reftel A).    All four were 
detained but the two attackers were released with in hours. 
Milli and Hajizade each sustained injuries in the 
confrontation.  Subsequent claims that the attackers were 
hospitalized with injuries appear to be false, as no evidence 
of their registration at any Baku hospital exists. 
 
¶3. (U) Prior to Milli and Hajizade's pre-trial hearing at the 
Sabayel district court on July 9, German ombudsman for Human 
Rights, Gunter Nooke, who was in Baku on a scheduled trip, 
met with the judge as well as briefly spoke with Milli at the 
Sabayel police station.  (Note: Milli was originally hired to 
be Nooke's translator prior to this arrest. End Note.) 
During Milli and Nooke's brief conversation (in German), 
Milli was able to explain much of the story. Nooke was the 
only foreign diplomat who was allowed to speak to any court 
official. Ultimately, the two were charged with "hooliganism" 
and given two months pre-trial detention with the potential 
of a five year sentence.  The steep potential sentence is due 
to their prosecution under a law pertaining to hooliganism by 
"groups;" however they are being tried separately.  They are 
currently being held in the recently built pre-trial 
detention facility known as Kurdahane.  Reportedly, their 
conditions are relatively good and they are able to meet with 
their lawyers and human rights activists who have been 
providing them with food and messages. 
 
 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REACTS 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) On July 11, Embassy Baku released a press statement 
expressing concerns over the welfare of the two youths as 
well as some of the irregularities of the investigation and 
detainment.  Deputy Secretary  Steinberg also made reference 
to these concerns in response to a question posed to him 
during a press conference related to his trip to Baku. 
European embassies and multilateral organizations  are 
actively advocating on the activists, behalf.  At a July 13 
event, a POLECON officer talked to counterparts from various 
European Union-member embassies.  The consensus was that they 
would all first attempt private demarches before making 
public statements if the initial private attempts failed. 
 
 
THE AZERBAIJANI NGO COMMUNITY REACTS 
------------------------------------ 
 
5.(U) On July 9, human rights defender Leyla Yunus, along 
with nearly every traditional opposition leader, held a press 
conference demanding the release of Milli and Hajizade. 
Calling the arrests politically motivated and "an attack on 
our youth," with reference to Hajizade's father, a member of 
the independence-era government, Yunus distributed a letter 
to be signed by those in attendance and presented to the 
President.  Isa Qambar, head of the main opposition Yeni 
Musavat Party, also spoke saying that the government was 
attempting to split the opposition and that they should 
rather join together in defending the two youths. 
 
6.(U) On July 13, a POLECON officer met with two members of 
the Dalga youth movement to announce the formation of a new 
movement called the Youth Rights Protection Movement (YRPM). 
YRPM was formed on July 11 in direct response to the 
 
BAKU 00000567  002 OF 002 
 
 
detention of Hajizade and Milli.  A general fear that the 
GOAJ would come after them next was another catalyst for the 
formation of this group.  They had set up meetings with 
representatives of the major European embassies in Baku to 
announce their formation. So far their activities have been 
liited mainly to the internet but they plan to print 
t-shirts with Hajizade's and Milli's faces.  The group also 
attempted to organize a small picket in London during 
President Aliyev's state visit. 
 
7.(U) Also on July 13, the Institute for Reporter's Freedom 
and Safety held a press conference at their Baku 
headquarters. Along with well-known NGO leaders, a number of 
witnesses to the attacks were on hand.  The goal of the 
gathered group of NGO leaders was to provide weekly updates 
on the well-being, legal status and activities in support of 
Milli and Hajizade.  At the meeting, many stated the 
consensus belief that the attack was in response to the two 
for the production of a widely spread YouTube video mocking 
the government's purchase of two donkeys from Germany for 
$41,000 each. 
 
8.(SBU) A strategy meeting was held by a number of youth 
groups On July 14 at the Human Rights House funded by the 
Norwegian government.  There was definitely a palatable sense 
of uneasy among many of the leaders gathered.  The main topic 
discussed was the need for unity and ability to work together 
between the groups.  However, while they were told that they 
should do as much as possible, it was also noted that they 
should be careful and protect themselves.  Despite the talk 
of unity, there was still some derision.  One leader, Rahmin 
Najili, formerly of Dalga but now of the Youth Rights 
Protection Movement criticized an article in opposition 
newspaper Yeni Musavat, to which he was met with indignation 
by some present.  This article, which was rumored to have 
been written under political order from the GOAJ, suggested 
that the U.S. Government was plotting coup attempts in 
Azerbaijan through youth groups. 
 
GOAJ REACTION 
------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Further, the Prosecutor General's Office and 
Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a joint statement July 14 
that criticized international organizations and foreign 
embassies for their interest in the youths' case.  Among 
other things, the statement said that foreigners are 
questioning the GOAJ in its ability to conduct a fair 
investigation and warned embassies to steer clear of 
interfering in internal matters.  The joint statement 
appeared to be in response to Embassy Baku's statement of 
concern about the case, released July 11. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Comment: Hajizade and Milli,s arrest and detention 
appear to be retribution for their increasingly public and 
pointed criticisms of the government, including protests of 
the government,s expensive commemoration of Heydar Aliyev,s 
birthday in the wake of the April 30 mass murder at the State 
Oil Academy, and the now-infamous donkey video.  However, the 
timing of the event to coincide with the visit of a European 
human rights ombudsman ) and curious facts such as Milli,s 
having to call the police to spur their involvement, followed 
by the confusion at the police station leading up to the 
preliminary hearing ) leave it unclear at what level and in 
whose interest the provocation was carried out.  Regardless, 
it appears that the government may be trying to scare youth 
leaders and force them to think twice before conducting any 
activities that could be seen as anti-government.  Over the 
longer term, this incident, combined with civil society's 
strong reaction to proposed amendments to the NGO law last 
month (reftel c), may signify the end of the era of 
traditional Popular Front-era opposition figures and the 
beginning of a new era of a younger, more dynamic opposition. 
 Embassy intends to continue raising the case with officials 
in the Presidential Administration and to refute claims by 
both the government and the opposition press that the United 
States is inappropriately involved in the case. 
LU